Abstract

Protein deficiency malnutrition (PDM) is the most common disease that affect children between ‎‎1 to ‎‎5 years old. As a general term it refers to a condition that results from taking a diet in which ‎nutrient ‎protein are too little or too much that it causes health problems including a number of ‎diseases. It is ‎often manifested by two notorious diseases known as marasmus and kwashiorkor ‎which have almost ‎similar symptoms. This study aims to strength research methodology through ‎estimating the level and ‎socioeconomic and cultural correlates of the disease in a sample of 800 ‎malnourished children ‎admitted to Wad Medani Pediatric Teaching Hospital suffering from ‎marasmus and kwashiorkor. The ‎data collected by structured questionnaire, coded and analyzed ‎in SPSS program. Descriptive statistic ‎using frequency tables and graphs was used to describe ‎the level and pattern and factor analysis and ‎bivariate analyses are used to determine ‎socioeconomic and cultural factors associated with the ‎disease. The study determined 11 ‎pathological and socioeconomic and cultural factors that associated ‎with PDM including Weight ‎at birth, Current weight of the child, body mass index of the child, ‎educational level for mother, ‎family income. The time period between any pregnancy and the next ‎and others. The study ‎recommended that attention should be focused on the importance of creating a ‎solid ‎comprehensive data file of PDM status at the national level with a view to implement a national ‎‎strategic plan for the control of malnutrition in general ad PDM in particular” and enhance the ‎‎existing weak road map (RM) to address the above variables.‎

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