Abbreviated Name:
Children under 5 who are wasted (moderate and severe)
Indicator Name:
Children under 5 who are wasted (moderate and severe)
Domain:
Health determinants and risks / Risk factors
Related Terms:
Child underweight, nutrition, severe stunting, stunting, wasting
Definition:
Percentage of wasted (moderate and severe) children aged 0–59 months (moderate = weight-for-height below -2 standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median; severe = weight-for-height below -3 standard deviations of the WHO Child Growth Standards median).
Measurment Method:
Percentage of children aged <5 years wasted = (Number of children aged 0-5 years that fall below minus two standard deviations from the median weight-for-height of the WHO Child Growth Standards / Total number of children aged 0-5 years that were measured) x 100. Children’s weight and height are measured using standard technology, e.g. children less than 24 months are measured lying down, while standing height is measured for children 24 months and older. The data sources include national nutrition surveys, any other nationally-representative population-based surveys with nutrition modules, and national surveillance systems.
Numerator:
Number of children aged 0–59 months who are wasted.
Denominator
Total number of children aged 0–59 months who were measured.
Estimation method:
WHO maintains the Global Database on Child Growth and Malnutrition, which includes population-based surveys that fulfill a set of criteria. Data are checked for validity and consistency and raw data sets are analysed following a standard procedure to obtain comparable results. Prevalence below and above defined cut-off points for weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height and body mass index (BMI)-for-age, in preschool children are presented using z-scores based on the WHO Child Growth Standards. A detailed description of the methodology and procedures of the database including data sources, criteria for inclusion, data quality control and database work-flow, are described in a paper published in 2003 in the International Journal of Epidemiology. (de Onis & Blössner, 2003)
Disaggregation:
Administrative regions, health regions, location (urban/rural), gender, age
Primary data sources:
Population based household surveys, specific population surveys, surveillance systems
Alternate data sources:
Population-based health surveys with nutrition modules, national surveillance systems
Measurment frequency:
Every 3-5 years
