Dietary Patterns and Prevalence of Wasting among Street Children in Lilongwe, Malawi

Summary

This open access article is published in the African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development and is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

In a cross-sectional study of 36 street children in Lilongwe, Malawi, dietary practices and the prevalence of wasting were assessed to provide information on the risk of poor dietary intake and malnutrition in the population of street children. A food frequency questionnaire and 24-hour dietary recalls were used to determine dietary practices, while anthropometric measurements were taken to assess the prevalence of low weight-for-height (wasting).

Because of their high mobility, the participants were recruited using purposive sampling, primarily around the streets that lead to Lilongwe main market. A qualitative checklist was used to identify prospective participants, and interviews were only done after the respondent had given informed assent. Limited as it is in terms of sample size and breath, the study forms a stepping stone for investigating in more detail, food and nutrition issues that affect street children in Malawi.