Nutritional and Health Status of Physically Impaired Children and Adolescents,ZEINAB H. ABOU EL-GHEAT, MOHAMED K. ABD EL-RAHMAN, LOBNA M.S. EL-HADIDY and WAFAA M. ISMAEIL
Abstract
Background: Physical impairment represents the fourth major handicapped problem in Egypt.
Objective: The aim of this work was to assess the situation of physically impaired children and adolescents in some Egyptian governorates.
Subjects: The study was carried on 142 physically impaired individuals their age ranged from 6-20 years old. The sample was collected from several rehabilitation centers and Non-Governmental Organization which follow Ministry of Social Affairs (MOSA). Most of individuals participated in this study were from poor families classified as low socioeconomic class.
Methodology: Each participated individual was subjected to 1- Clinical examination and anthropometric measurements. 2- Evaluation of the daily diets.
Results: Showed that Poliomyelitis was the reason of the disability for 35.2% of the sample and less than two thirds (62%) of the sample had positive consanguineous marriages. Hereditary factor found in 30.8% of the family’s history. Majority of physically impaired subjects (84.5%) had at least a disabled lower limb, while 33.8% were in upper limb. More than one third (38.7%) of the sample were under weight (<–2SD), and according to W/A measurement 48.2% were stunted (<–2SD). The prevalence of anemia was found among (45.24%) of the sample. The results of dietary assessment, showed that the mean intake of macronutrients by physically impaired children (males and females) were in the minimum range of the requirements and 57.9% of them was taken energy <75% of the RDA. The majority of the sample had micronu-trients deficiency in particularly Fe, I, Ca, and Zn. The incidence of their deficiency was among 93.7%, 92.6%, 84.2% and 75.8% respectively, while the deficient in vit E was 66.3%, in vit A was 55.8% and in niacin was 46.3% of the total sample.