Nutritional status, body composition among dao ethnic women of 1 to 5 years-old children in Bao Lac district, Cao Bang province

Abstract

    To identify the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) and describe some body composition characteristics in women of reproductive age. Method: 144 subjects, Dao ethnic group, aged 15-49 years old from 4 communes Bao Toan, Khanh Xuan, Xuan Truong, Phan Thanh, Bao Lac district, Cao Bang province participated in the study. Weight and height were collected to calculate the BMI; CED and overweight were defined as BMI < 18.5 and BMI > 25, respectively. (WHO 2004). Body composition was measured using the Tanita monitor scale BC-571 for body fat percentage (%BF), visceral fat, bone mass. Results: The average height of the object of study reached 150.4 ± 4,9 cm, the prevalence of CED was 7.7%, the prevalence of overweight was 5.6%, %BF greater than 35% was 4,2%. Conclusion: In Dao ethnic women, CED occurs with the prevalence of 7.7%, mean body height is significantly lower than the height of Vietnamese women, there are a considerable number of Dao ethnic women with overweight and high %BF