REPUBLIQUE UNIE DU CAMEROUN ENQUETE NATIONALE SUR LA NUTRITION; RAPPORT FINAL

This report, written in French, presents the results of that study. The study is based on a control group of 506 children, 5-years old or under, of relatively high economic rank whose nutritional status can serve as a point of reference for Cameroon and an experimental group of 5,689 children (5-59 months), 3,350 mothers, and 3,383 households. After introductory sections on Cameroon"s demography, economy, and health conditions, the study"s goals and the methodology used in its compilation are explained. The physical and laboratory signs (i.e., hemoglobin concentration) of malnutrition in children and mothers are discussed. In the ensuing analysis of research results, the age and sex distribution of the sampling group, the nutritional status of children, and the levels of malnutrition are examined. The mortality associated with anemia, edema, and measles, and the characteristics of the target households and each of its members are also discussed. A survey of the types of milk (i.e., breast or bottle) and food consumed by children is presented as the basis for forming national nutrition programs. The proportion of children and families consuming various food types and the portion of family food given to children are discussed. Connections are drawn between mothers afflicted with goiters and tests to detect the presence of a certain acid in mothers" saliva that is indicative of ingestion of under-cooked food types. Conclusions of this study include: chronic malnutrition in young children reflects prolonged deficiencies in calories and proteins; and evidence of malnutrition based on physical traits is more difficult to define in mothers than in children because of the greater impact of environmental factors on the former. Extensive annexes, tables and diagrams, as well as a 64-item bibliography (1955-78) of French and English references are appended.