{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T21:47:29Z","timestamp":1792705649188,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,21]],"date-time":"2024-04-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713657600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Food Science &amp; Nutrition"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,6]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>Malnutrition remains a major public health challenge among children in developing countries, especially those experiencing civil wars and political unrest. It is imperative to ascertain the level of malnutrition, particularly in displaced children, to develop and effectively implement interventions. This study was a cross\u2010sectional survey conducted to assess the nutritional status of 657 internally displaced school\u2010aged children (5\u201315\u2009years) enrolled in primary schools in the West and Littoral Regions of Cameroon. The height, weight, and mid\u2010upper arm circumference of the children were measured using standard measurements. Clinical examinations were also made on the children. Other parameters that affect nutritional status, such as morbidity and health\u2010seeking practices, were assessed using pre\u2010tested, structured interviewer questionnaires. An analysis of the data revealed that stunting was the most prevalent form of malnutrition (27.1%), followed by wasting (23%), thinness (21.6%), and underweight (20.1%). About 44.5% of the children had low serum iron, and 35.7% of them had poor protein status. The prevalence of anemia was 30.0%. The most common signs of protein, vitamin A, and iron deficiencies observed were thin, dry, or sparse hair (5.2%), pallor (7.3%), and xerosis (3.3%), respectively. About 32% of the children had been sick within the previous month of the study, and the most common illness was the common cold (19.8%). Most of them (&gt;60%) had good health\u2010seeking practices. The high prevalence of stunting, wasting, thinness, underweight, anemia, protein, and iron deficiency calls for interventions such as nutrition education and supplementation to prevent malnutrition and diet\u2010related diseases among children.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/fsn3.4068","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,22]],"date-time":"2024-04-22T06:37:25Z","timestamp":1713767845000},"page":"4086-4099","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["An assessment of the nutritional status of internally displaced school children in the West and Littoral Regions of Cameroon"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6852-2265","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aba Richard","family":"Ejoh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology University of Bamenda  Bamenda Cameroon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5802-2956","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Boh Mirabelle","family":"Nwachan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology University of Bamenda  Bamenda Cameroon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ngangmou Theirry","family":"Noumo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition, Food and Bioresource Technology University of Bamenda  Bamenda Cameroon"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/026010609901300405"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/02601060221132134"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_4_1","volume-title":"A study on the nutritional status and risk factors for malnutrition among primary school children in Sullia, Karnataka","author":"Amruth M.","year":"2012"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_5_1","unstructured":"Benneh G. &DeLancey M. 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