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M Duprat

Publications and source records attributed to M Duprat.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Nutrition and immunization survey of Bosnian women and children during 1993.

BACKGROUND: As a result of the war in Bosnia, millions of displaced people and refugees have come to depend upon international donations of food aid. METHODS: We conducted a survey of 120 randomly selected 'clusters' of households in the Bosnian regions of Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica and Bihac (30 'clusters' in each region). Children from 6 to 59 months and their mothers were selected and their nutritional status was examined. Children aged 13-25 months and infants under 16 weeks were also assessed for their immunization status and infant feeding practices respectively. RESULTS: There were no clinical signs of protein-energy undernutrition or micronutrient deficiency in children. Similarly, there were no clinical signs of undernutrition in adults, although 10.8% of the resident women in Sarajevo and 11.9% in Zenica had a Body Mass Index (BMI) below 18.5. Total BCG coverage was 94% while the coverage for DPT/polio was only 55% in Sarajevo and 49% in Zenica. Only 5% of mothers were exclusively breastfeeding babies under 16 weeks. CONCLUSION: While the coverage of the survey was not nationwide and was limited to the first year of the war, the results indicate that in this period serious hunger and undernutrition were prevented in Bosnia, though they suggest that appreciable loss of weight is likely to have occurred. Immunization coverage, except for BCG, and exclusive breastfeeding levels were poor.

Adult↗

Nutrition and infant feeding survey of women and children in Sarajevo during July 1993.

OBJECTIVE: To collect baseline information on nutritional status and infant feeding practices in besieged Sarajevo and to identify areas for action. DESIGN: Thirty communities (clusters) were randomly selected from 84 local communities within besieged Sarajevo. A starting point within a community was randomly selected and subsequent houses visited until the required sample size was reached. 19 collective centres were included in a separate sample. SETTING: The survey was carried out in besieged Sarajevo during July 1993. SUBJECTS: Subjects included residents and refugees. The nutritional status of 524 children aged from six to 59 months and 494 women of child-bearing age was assessed. Information on feeding practices was obtained from a subsample of 64 mothers with babies less than 16 weeks old. MEASUREMENTS: Children and the women who accompanied them were weighed and measured. Weight for height Z scores were calculated for children and body mass index (BMI) was calculated for women. A structured questionnaire on infant feeding practices was administered to mothers of babies. RESULTS: There were no indications of undernutrition in children above the 2.5% which would normally be expected in a population. Among resident women, 10.8% had a BMI < 18.5, compared to 4.4% among refugee women in private accommodation and 8.6% in collective centres. The weights of refugee women in collective centres were significantly higher than the weights of resident women (ANOVA, p = 0.03). Only 6% of mothers with babies less than 16 weeks old were exclusively breast feeding. CONCLUSION: Nutritional monitoring proved to be possible and useful in assessing breast feeding practices and nutritional status. The level of exclusive breast feeding was extremely low, probably due to lack of relevant education of health workers.

Adult↗