Prevalence, determinants, intervention strategies and current gaps in addressing childhood malnutrition in Vietnam: a systematic review

• Published in: BMC public health 2024-04, Vol.24 (1), p.960-39, Article 960
• Main Authors: Mondon, Charlotte, Tan, Pui Yee, Chan, Chong Ling, Tran, Thuy Nga, Gong, Yun Yun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Age; Alfacalcidol; Anemia; Bias; Biomarkers; Birth weight; Body mass index; Body weight; Breastfeeding & lactation; Calcifediol; Calciferol; Care and treatment; Child; Child, Preschool; Childhood; Children; Children and adolescents; Complications and side effects; Criteria; Diet; Dietary supplements; Dosage and administration; Eating behavior; Economic development; Economic reform; Food security; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Intervention; Interventions; Iron; Low birth weight; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - complications; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Malnutrition in children; Micronutrient deficiencies; Micronutrients; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition research; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Obesity in children; Overnutrition; Overnutrition - complications; Overnutrition - epidemiology; Overweight; Overweight - epidemiology; Pediatric Obesity - epidemiology; Prevalence; Prevalence and determinants; Public health; Rural areas; Socioeconomics; Standard scores; Systematic review; Teenagers; Undernutrition; Underweight; Vietnam - epidemiology; Vitamin A; Vitamin D; Vitamin deficiency; Zinc; Zinc in the body
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18419-8

Childhood malnutrition in all forms is a major public health issue worldwide. This review systematically examined the prevalence and determinants and identify the potential interventions and current gap in addressing malnutrition including undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies (MNDs) in Vietnamese children aged 0-18 years old. Embase, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science were systematically searched through June 2022 to identify relevant articles published within the past 25 years. Study selection and data extraction were performed by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by the other two reviewers in accordance with PRISMA guideline. Risk of publication bias was assessed using American Dietetic Association Quality Criteria Checklist. Seventy-two studies that met the inclusion criteria were included. Undernutrition has decreased over time but still 22.4%, 5.2% and 12.2% of children under 5 were stunted, wasted and underweight, respectively. Anaemia, iron, zinc, and vitamin D deficiencies were the more common forms of MNDs, the prevalence varied by age, region, and socioeconomic group. Population-based surveys reported that 11% and 48% of children aged 0-11 years old were iron and vitamin D deficient, respectively. Zinc deficiency affected almost one-quarter of the children and adolescents. Retinol deficiency was of less concern (