TITLE:
Gut Bacteria and Nutritional Status of Nigerian Children at an Internally Displaced Persons’ Camp in Benue State, Nigeria: A Pilot Study
AUTHORS:
Iveren Winifred Nyinoh, Shiyima Nathaniel Azera, Emmanuel Msugh Mbaawuaga
KEYWORDS:
Nutritional Status, Gut Bacteria, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), Body Mass Index (BMI), Weight-for-Height (WHZ), Weight-for-Age (WAZ)
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.11 No.6,
June
19,
2023
ABSTRACT: This study was conducted to determine the gut bacteria and nutritional status of children (n = 30) aged 2 - 11 in Benue’s largest internally displaced persons (IDP) camp since information on this is lacking. Gut bacteria were identified using culture techniques, while Body Mass Index (Kg/m2), Weight-for-Height (WHZ), and Weight-for-Age (WAZ) z scores were computed from anthropometric measurements. Socio-demographic and economic variables were collected via structured questionnaires. IBM SPSS v25 was used to analyze the data, with p Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli compared to children from a nearby private school (n = 10), except for E. coli, where the prevalence was equal. The results for BMI revealed that 23 (57.5%) of the children had a healthy weight while 17 (42.5%) were underweight.WAZ z-scores were between (-0.02 - 2.51) with evidence of mildly underweight (20%) and mildly overweight (5%) children. WHZ z-scores were between -0.03 - 2.37, with moderately wasted (30%) and severely wasted (5%) found. To ensure better health outcomes for residents, conditions in the camp must be improved.