Haiti nutrition status survey, 1978

The Haiti National Nutrition Survey, conducted during June-September 1978,
quantified the magnitude and distribution of malnutrition in young children and their mothers. Ofthe 5353preschool children surveyed, 6.0% were severely wasted (less than 80%of the reference median weight-for-height). Stunting (less than 90% of the reference median height-for-age) was most prevalent in the 48-59-month age group. Over 40% of the children in this group were stunted. Although the causes of undernutrition cannot be documented in a cross-sectional survey, the baseline data obtained constitute important evidence that acute
undernutrition is a major problem in Haiti, that it is particularly pronounced in children 12-23 months old, and that it is evenly distributed through all rural departments in Haiti.