Malnutrition Among Pre-School Children in Alexandria, Egypt (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION Information on child growth is helpful in monitoring trends, determining priorities, and evaluating the effectiveness of nutritional intervention programmes. Malnutrition, one of the most important global health problems, affects large numbers of children in developing countries (1). It is synonymous with protein energy malnutrition (PEM) and signifies an imbalance between the supply of protein and energy and the body's demand for these to ensure optimal growth and function. PEM, a consequence of various factors, is often related to poor quality of food, insufficient food intake, and severe and repeated infectious diseases, or, frequently, combinations of the three (2). The major outcomes of PEM during childhood may be classified in terms of morbidity (3), mortality (4), and psychological and intellectual development (5) with important consequences in adult life (6).