NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF ORANG ASLI CHILDREN IN SUNGAI BERUA, TERENGGANU

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the nutritional status of Orang Asli children in Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sungai Berua, Kuala Berang, Terengganu, Malaysia. Participants included 77 school children aged between 7 and 12 years, consisting of 38 boys and 39 girls. The methods used to determine the children's nutritional status included anthropometric measurements, biochemical analysis for hemoglobin and urinalysis, as well as urinary iodine determination. Using World Health Organization (WHO) reference standards, it was found that 32.4% of the respondents were underweight, 9.9% severely underweight, 35.2% stunted, and 40.8% severely stunted. The Body Mass Index (BMI)-for-age also indicated that 8.5% of the respondents were “wasted” and 8.5% were “severely wasted”. Overall, the mean hemoglobin of the children was 10.6 g/dL and the median of urinary iodine concentration was 131.3 µg/L. Iodine deficiency was widespread among Orang Asli children, with 40.3% of children showing low urinary iodine levels. Hemoglobin had a significant correlation with BMI (r = 0.310, p < 0.05). The present study shows that underweight, stunting, wasting, anemia and iodine deficiency are still widespread among Orang Asli children. Nutrition and health intervention is needed to reduce these risks.