MAGNITUDE OF STUNTING AND UNDERWEIGHT AMONG HIV INFECTED CHILDREN IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL SOUTH EAST NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSESSMENT BETWEEN URBAN AND RURAL INHABITANTS

Background: Nutrition plays an important role in infections. Human Imunodeficiency virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is commonly complicated by malnutrition, which results to severe illness. Malnutrition therefore needs to be taken into account to guarantee proper care for the HIV sero-positive child. There is paucity of data on the magnitude of malnutrition among HIV infected children in Nigeria. This study aims to determine the magnitude of malnutrition among HIV infected children at Federal Teaching Hospital Owerri and to compare the anthropometry of rural and urban inhabitants of children living with HIV. Methods: A cross-sectional study, in which one hundred and two HIV sero-positive children majority of whom are on HAART, aged 1-18 years were recruited consecutively over four months at the pediatric infectious disease clinic of the Federal University Teaching Hospital Owerri. Socio demographic variables were collected. Anthropometric characteristics; weight and height of each participant were measured using a stadiometer (RGZ-160 England). The weight and height were classified as normal, underweight, overweight, obese and stunted, normal and tall stature using CDC classification. Results: 102 Participants aged 1-18 years included 53 females and 49 males, 22.5% of children were underweight, 34.3% were stunted and 5.8% were obesed. All forms of malnutrition both underweight and overweight were more common in children living in rural areas. 14 children from rural areas were underweight while 10 children from urban areas were underweight. Similarly, 3 children from rural areas were overweight as compared to 2 children from urban areas. Stunting was also more common among rural dwellers. Conclusion: Malnutrition is common among HIV infected children attending the paediatrics infectious disease clinic in Federal University Teaching Hospital Owerri. Appropriate nutritional care needs be provided for HIV sero positive children.