Food consumption of young stunted and non-stunted children in rural Zambia

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the quality of diet of rural Zambian pre-school children, and to compare the dietary intake of stunted and non-stunted children. Design: Cross-sectional study, in which dietary intake was assessed with a 24-h recall method. Height and weight were measured according to standard procedures. Setting: Twelve villages in Samfya District, Zambia. Subjects: Children aged 6-9 months ('infants') and 14-20 months ('toddlers'), attending Mother-and-Child Health Clinics, were eligible for study. Excluded were: 12 wasted, and 18 for other reasons. In total 106 infants and 99 toddlers were included. Results: In infants and toddlers, total daily intake of energy, calcium, iron, and vitamin A was insufficient compared to recommended daily intakes. Only infants had insufficient protein intake. Compared to intake from weaning foods, breast milk was the main source of energy and most nutrients for infants. For toddlers, weaning foods were more important. Stunted infants and toddlers tended to have lower intakes of energy compared to non-stunted age-mates. Daily energy intake per kg bodyweight showed no difference between stunted and non-stunted children. Conclusions: Overall quality of weaning foods was inadequate. Stunted infants and toddlers showed a tendency of lower energy intakes compared to non-stunted age-mates.