Prevalence of and Socio-Demographic Factors of Malnutrition Among Vietnamese Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Hoang, Ngan Thi Duc
Hoang, Nghien Thi Thao
Tran, Duong Thanh
Le, Hoa Anh
Le, Tuyen Danh
Szymlek-Gay, Ewa A
Le, Hiep N
Le, Hiep Thi
Dang, Du Thi Doan
Phung, Hai
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2025
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Background/Objectives: Limited data exist on the nutritional status of Vietnamese children aged 5 years and older. This study aimed to (1) determine the nutritional status and (2) assess the associations between malnutrition and socio-demographic factors among children and adolescents aged 5–19 years old in selected provinces in Vietnam. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 3055 children aged 5–19 years old. Children’s weight and height were collected to calculate BMI for Age Z-score and Height for Age Z-score to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity, stunting, thinness/underweight, stunted-overweight, stunted-underweight, at least one type of undernutrition, and at least one type of malnutrition. Results: The prevalence of stunting and thinness/underweight was around 10%, overweight and obesity was 14.5%, while the prevalence of malnutrition was 36.5%, with 19.7% of children experiencing at least one form of undernutrition. Significant associations were found between malnutrition and socio-demographic factors such as age, ethnicity, and the number of household possessions. Stunting was more prevalent among older children and those from lower-income households, whereas overweight and obesity were more common in wealthier families. Conclusions: These novel findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing both undernutrition and obesity in Vietnam’s diverse demographic groups.

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Healthcare

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13

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6

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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Hoang, NTD; Hoang, NTT; Tran, DT; Le, HA; Le, TD; Szymlek-Gay, EA; Le, HN; Le, HT; Dang, DTD; Phung, H, Prevalence of and Socio-Demographic Factors of Malnutrition Among Vietnamese Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study, Healthcare, 2025, 13 (6), pp. 612

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