Table 3.
Findings on the prevalence of malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies) in Vietnamese children aged 0–18 years old
| Authors and year | Study design & duration | Sample age | Sample size | Measurements | Key findings—prevalence | Risk of bias |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 5 years old | ||||||
| Smuts et al. 2005 [2] | Baseline data of a double blinded, RCT | 6–11 months | 257 |
Weight, height, WAZ, HAZ, and WHZ Blood: serum levels of Hb, ferritin, retinol, and zinc |
12.7% underweight 8.0% stunted 3.0% wasted 89.9% anaemic 20.2% retinol deficient 22.5% zinc deficient |
Low |
| Khan et al. 2007 [23] |
Repeat cross-sectional 1990–2005 (14 years) |
0–5 years |
357,396 1990 = 37,972 1994 = 37,654 2000 = 94,469 2002 = 91,921 2004 = 95,380 |
Weight, height, and BMI |
Underweight decreased by 18.4% (from 45% to 26.6%) Stunting decreased by 25.8% (from 56.5% to 30.7%) Wasting decreased by 1.7% (from 9.4% to 7.7%) |
Low |
| Nguyen et al. 2007 [24] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 1,657 |
Blood: serum retinol and Hb Retinol deficiency = retinol < 0.70 μmol/L Anaemia: Hb < 110 g/L |
12.0% retinol deficient 28.4% anaemic < 6 months old: 35.1% retinol deficient 61.7% anaemic |
Low |
| Nhien et al. 2008 [25] | Cross sectional | 1–6 years | 243 | Serum blood: copper, zinc, selenium, magnesium, retinol and Hb |
86.9% zinc deficient 55.6% anaemic 11.3% retinol deficient 50.2% underweight 36.2% stunted 14.4% wasted |
Low |
| Dieu et al. 2009 [20] |
Repeated cross sectional study 2002–2005 (3 years) |
4–5 years |
1,162 2002 = 492 2005 = 670 |
Weight, height, BMI Underweight = WAZ < 5th percentile Overweight/ obesity BMI > 23 kg/m2 |
36.8% obese (2005) 21.4% overweight 7.5% underweight Overweight/ obesity increased by 52.9% (p < 0.001) |
Low |
| Vaktskjold et al. 2010 [26] |
Prospective cohort study 2005–2006 (1 year) |
0–1 year | 237 |
Weight, HAZ, WLZ, and BMI-Z compared to WHO standards Blood: Hb (n = 189) |
79% below median for weight-for-length 18.0% in 5th percentile for length-for-age 9.6% in 5th percentile for weight-for age 9.6% in 5th percentile for weight-for-length 20.3% in 5th percentile for BMI-for age 11.1% anaemic |
Low |
| Laillou et al. 2013 [27] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 532 |
Weight, height Blood: plasma calcium and vitamin D |
21% vitamin D deficient 37% vitamin D insufficient 97% mild calcium deficient |
Low |
| Nguyen et al. 2014 [28] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 4,029 | Weight and height |
16.8% stunted 13.2% underweight 4.8% wasting |
Medium |
| Lundeen et al. 2014 [29] |
Longitudinal 8 years |
1–8 years | 1,830 | Weight, height and HAZ |
1 year: 21% stunted 5 years: 24% stunted 8 years: 19.2% stunted |
Low |
| Giao et al. 2019 [22] | Prospective cross-sectional | 1–2 years | 768 (receiving vaccinations) | Weight, height, HAZ and BMI-Z |
8.2% stunted 10.7% overweight/ obese |
Medium |
| Kim et al. 2022 [30] | Cross-sectional | 3–4 years | 103 | Weight, height, and BMI | 22.3% overweight/ obese | Low |
| 5–11 years old | ||||||
| Hop et al. 1997 [31] |
Longitudinal 1981–1994 (14 years) |
0–10 years | 212 | Weight, height and feeding practices | Stunting at 21 months: 59.4% (male) & 58.3% (female) | Low |
| Hall et al. 2001 [32] |
Cross-sectional 1998 |
7–11 years | 588 | Blood: Hb levels | 13% anaemic | Medium |
| Mai et al. 2003 [33] |
Cross-sectional 1999 |
7–9 years | 348 Girls | Weight, height, LMAC, body fat and blood pressure |
Rural: 21.8% underweight 13.5% stunted 11.5% wasted 0.0% obese Urban: 5.8% underweight 1.9% stunted 5.2% wasted 5.3% obese |
Low |
| Tuan et al. 2008 [34] |
Repeated cross sectional study 1992 – 2002 (10 years) |
2–17 years | 70,331 | Weight, height, and BMI |
Overweight/ obesity increased from 1.4% to 1.8% (p = 0.07) Underweight increased from 32.1% to 33.5% (p = 0.11) |
Low |
| Nguyen et al. 2013 [8] |
Cross-sectional SEANUTS |
0.2–11.9 years | 2,872 |
Weight, height, MUAC, waist and hip circumferences Blood: Hb, ferritin, vitamin A and D |
14% stunted (< 5 years) 8.6% underweight (< 5 years) 4.4% thin (< 5 years) 15.6% stunted (5–11.9 years) 22.2% underweight (5–11.9 years) ~ 5% of overweight/obese children also stunted 38.65% anaemic (0.5–1.0 years) 18.25% anaemic (2–4.9 years) 12.47% anaemic (5–11 years) 7.75% retinol deficient (6–11.9 years) |
Low |
| Huong et al. 2014 [35] | Cross-sectional | 6 months-18 years | 108 | Weight, height and MUAC |
19% wasted 13.9% stunted 0% obese 7% severe wasting at 6–59 months |
Low |
| Le Nguyen et al. 2016 [36] |
Cross-sectional 2011 SEANUTS |
6–11 years | 385 | Blood: Hb, ferritin and red blood cell count |
11.4% anaemic 5.6% iron deficient 0.4% ID anaemia |
Low |
| Poh et al. 2016 [37] | Cross-sectional SEANUTS | 2–15 years | 2,016 | Blood: serum vitamin D |
11.1% vitamin D deficient 37.1% vitamin D insufficient 29.4% inadequate vitamin D |
Low |
| Do et al. 2017 [19] |
Longitudinal 2013–2016 (3 years) |
3–9 years | 2,602 | Weight and height |
Overweight increased from 9.1% to 16.7% Obesity decreased from 6.4% to 4.5% |
Low |
| Thuc et al. 2019 [38] | Cross-sectional | 6–11 years | 155 | Vitamin D deficiency: 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L | 23.9% vitamin D deficient | Medium |
| Le and Dinh 2022 [39] |
Cross-sectional 2021 |
6–11 years | 782 | Height, weight and BMI-Z |
14.32% obese 21.61% overweight |
Low |
| 12–18 years old | ||||||
| Hong et al. 2007 [40] |
Repeat cross- sectional study 2002 & 2004 |
11–16 years |
3,687 2002 = 1,003 2004 = 2,684 |
Height, weight, and BMI-Z |
Overweight significantly increased, 6.7% (p < 0.001) Obesity significantly increased, 1.4% (p < 0.001) Underweight decreased, 6.4% (insignificant) BMI significantly greater in 2004 than 2002 (p < 0.001) |
Low |
| Van Nhien et al. 2009 [41] | Cross-sectional | 11–17 years | 245 girls |
Weight, height and BMI Blood: Hb and trace element levels |
20.7% undernourished 20.4% anaemic 26.5% zinc deficient |
Low |
| Trang et al. 2012 [42] |
Prospective cohort study 2004–2009 (5 years) |
11–14 years | 585 | Weight and height | Overweight/ obesity increased by 7.6% (from 14.2% to 21.8%) | Low |
| Phan et al. 2020 [43] |
Cross-sectional 2018 |
11–14 years | 2,788 |
Weight and height using WHO and IOTF classification |
17.4% overweight (WHO) 8.6% obese (WHO) 17.1% overweight (IOTF) 5.4% obese (IOTF) |
Medium |
| Mai et al. 2020 [21] |
Cross-sectional 2014–2015 |
6–18 years | 10,949 | Weight, height, BMI-Z and HAZ |
Primary school children (6–13 years): 2.4% stunted 2.2% thin 24.3% overweight 26.9% obese Secondary school children (10–17 years): 3.8% stunted 4.6% thin 23.5% overweight 12.1% obese High school children (14–18 years): 7.9% stunted 6.0% thin 14% overweight 5.2% obese |
Low |
BMI body mass index, BMI-Z body mass index for-age-Z score, HAZ height-for-age-Z score, Hb haemoglobin, IOTF international obesity task force, LAZ length-for-age-Z score, LMAC left mid arm circumference, MUAC mid upper arm circumference, ND no data, WAZ Weight-for-age-Z score, WHO World Health Organization, WHZ weight-for-height-Z score, WLZ weight-for-length-Z score, 25(OH)D 25-hydroxy vitamin D