Malnutrition of children in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea

J Nutr. 1998 Aug;128(8):1315-9. doi: 10.1093/jn/128.8.1315.

Abstract

Natural disasters have caused extensive damage to crops and to infrastructure in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK). The international community has responded by providing emergency food aid. To improve understanding of the magnitude of food deficiency in the DPRK. The World Food Programme (WFP) conducted a nutritional assessment survey in August 1997. The survey measured the height and weight of a total of 3984 children <7 y of age in 40 government-selected institutions. Additional information was obtained on institutional access to food and on the care, treatment and parental support of a subsample of severely malnourished and nonmalnourished children. The prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting), based on weight-for-height Z-score < -2, varied from 0 to 32.7% among institutions, and the prevalence of chronic malnutrition (stunting), based on height-for-age < -2 Z-score varied from 0.6 to 74.1%. The findings from this survey indicate the presence of areas with severe acute or chronic malnutrition in the DPRK.

PIP: An estimated 23.9 million people inhabit the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK). In addition to economic and credit problems, DPRK experienced major natural disasters, including hailstorms, floods, drought, and tidal waves during 1994-97. These natural disasters have caused considerable damage to crops and infrastructure in DPRK. In response, the international community has provided emergency food aid. To assess the magnitude of food deficiency in the DPRK, the World Food Program (WFP) conducted a nutritional assessment survey in August 1997, measuring the height and weight of 3984 children under age 7 years in 40 government-selected institutions. Additional information was collected on institutional access to food and the care, treatment, and parental support of a subsample of severely malnourished and nonmalnourished children. The prevalence of acute malnutrition, based upon weight-for-height Z-score of less than -2, was 0-32.7% among institutions, while the prevalence of chronic malnutrition based upon height-for-age Z-score of less than -2 was 0.6-74.1%. This survey has identified areas of the DPRK in which severe acute or chronic malnutrition exists.

MeSH terms

  • Body Height
  • Body Weight
  • Child
  • Child, Institutionalized
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Korea / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Nutrition Assessment
  • Nutrition Disorders / epidemiology*