Table 2.
Comparison of household food security status and dietary intake between cases and controls
| Variables | Case (n = 137) | Control (n = 137) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean ± sd | n (%) | Mean ± sd | n (%) | p value | |
| Household food security status | <0.001 | ||||
| Household food secure | 52 (38) | 74 (54) | |||
| Household food insecure | 26 (19) | 40 (29.2) | |||
| Individual food insecure | 31 (22.6) | 21 (15.3) | |||
| Child hunger | 28 (20.4) | 2 (1.5) | |||
| Child’s dietary intake | |||||
| Kilocalories (kcal) | 715 ± 206 | 1035 ± 213 | <0.001 | ||
| % TE/RNI | 78 | 109 | |||
| Protein (g) | 28 ± 11 | 39.5 ± 13.8 | <0.001 | ||
| % TP/RNI | 169 | 230 | |||
| Vitamin A (RE) | 387 ± 278 | 643 ± 388 | <0.001 | ||
| % Vit A/RNI | 94 | 159 | |||
| Iron (mg) | 6.9 ± 3.8 | 10.5 ± 4.9 | <0.001 | ||
| % Fe/RNI | 165 | 257 | |||
Note. case = moderate to severe malnourished preschool children with z-scores < −2SD from the median of WHO reference based on visits to health clinics of Terengganu, Malaysia between April - August 2012; control = child without malnutrition with z-scores between -2SD and +2SD, age-matched and selected from the same health clinic as case; sd = standard deviation; n = total number; RNI = recommended nutrients intake; %TE/RNI = percentage of total dietary energy intake as compared to RNI; %TP/RNI = percentage of total dietary protein intake as compared to RNI; % Vit A/RNI = percentage of total dietary vitamin A intake as compared to RNI; % Fe/RNI = percentage of total dietary iron intake as compared to RNI; significance level is p < 0.05.