Characterisation and correlates of stunting among Malaysian children and adolescents aged 6-19 years.

ABSTRACT: Background:Despite emerging evidence regarding the reversibility of stunting at older ages, most stunting research continues to focus on children below 5 years of age. We aimed to assess stunting prevalence and examine the sociodemographic distribution of stunting risk among older children and adolescents in a Malaysian population. Methods:We used cross-sectional data on 6759 children and adolescents aged 6-19 years living in Segamat, Malaysia. We compared prevalence estimates for stunting defined using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) references, using Cohen's κ coefficient. Associations between sociodemographic indices and stunting risk were examined using mixed-effects Poisson regression with robust standard errors. Results:The

SUBMITTER: Partap U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6415126 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature