| dc.description.abstract | A cross-sectional study covering 16 pre-schools randomly selected
from four divisions in the city of Nairobi was carried out between
January and April 1997. A total of 304 children aged 3-5 years
were covered by the study. The study aimed at determining the
dietary patterns, prevalence of dental caries and the nutritional
status of the children.
A semi-structured self administered questionnaire was sent to the
parents/guardians of the children through the assistance of the
teachers. The questionnaire was used to acquire information on the
demographic characteristj_cs of the families from which the children
were drawn and the di2tary patterns of the children. The
nutritional status of the children was assessed through
anthropometric measurements, while the prevalence of dental caries
was assessed by physical examination of the teeth.
Majority of the mothers, 89.5% fell in the age group of 20 - 40
years. More than 50% of the parents had more than 8 years of
schooling, and 86.2% of the fathers and 68.8% of the mothers had
some form of occupation.
The mean breast feeding duration of the children was 20.17 months
(SD 10.39) and about 41% of the children had been bottlefed, for a
mean duration of 13.58 months (SD 12."4).Maj ori ty of the children
were weaned early, 61.5% of them at four months of age.
The study children consumed a wide variety of foods with over 70%
consuming fruits, vegetables and fats daily, while 80.9% of them
consumed milk daily. Tea with sugar was consumed by 84.9% of the
children daily. Animal foods were rarely consumed.
The snacks mostly consumed in school included cereals by 62.5% of
the children, and sweets and confectionaries by 30.9%, while the
beverages consumed were mainl~ juices and sodas by 41.1% of the
children and milk by 13.8%.
The rates of malnutrition were low with underweight at 1.6%,
stunting at 4.3% and wasting at 1.0%. Some of the children were
obese with 2.7% being overweight by weight for age and 3.3%
overweight by weight for height, while 2.4% were taller than their
expected height for age.
Up to 94.4% of the children brushed their teeth, with 90.1% using
a commercial toothbrush and 4.3% a chewing stick. Of the total who
brushed, 93.1% used toothpaste. A high proportion, (91%) of the
children had bacterial plaque on the index teeth. The prevalence of
dental caries was high at 63.5%, and a dmft of 2.95. Only 1.3% of
the children had filled teeth.
The study shows that there was a relatively high consumption of
sugar by the children, the rates of malnutrition were low and that
the prevalence of dental caries was very high among the children
studied. The high prevalence of dental caries raises a strong
public health concern. | en |
