CURRENT PREVALENCE AND PREDICTORS OF PROTEIN-ENERGY MALNUTRITION AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN IN RURAL PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract. A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the current prevalence of pro-tein-energy malnutrition (PEM) among Orang Asli schoolchildren and to investigate the poten-tial predictors of malnutrition. A total of 241 (120 males and 121 females) Orang Asli school-children age 7-12 years living in remote areas of Pos Betau, Pahang participated voluntarily in this study. Anthropometric and socioeconomic data were collected and the children were screened for intestinal parasitic infections. The overall prevalences of mild and significant un-derweight conditions were 52.3 % and 37.3%, respectively, and the prevalences of mild stunt-ing and wasting were 43.6 % and 43.1%, respectively, while the prevalences of significant stunting and wasting were 43.6 % and 5.6%, respectively. There was a significant association between gender (male) and malnutrition (p=0.029). The results also showed a higher preva-lence of stunting among children age ≤10 years than in older children (p=0.001). Other inde-pendent variables, including socioeconomic status and intestinal parasitic infections, had no significant associations with malnutrition indices. PEM is prevalent among schoolchildren in rural Malaysia and therefore of public health concern since PEM diminishes immune function and impairs cognitive function and educational performance. School-based programs of pre