The Prevalence of Malnutrition among Children under 5 Years old Referred to Health Centers in Iranshahr during 2010-2011

Background: malnutrition is steel a major health problem in the developing countries. it is recognized that 60% of death among children fewer than five years in these countries are associated with malnutrition. the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition in children under 5 years old in iranshahr in 2011. materials and methods: this is a cross-sectional descriptive study. the sample consisted of 700 children less than 5 years old were randomly selected by cluster and quota method among health centers. child growth was mensured based on nchs-who charts. a questionnaire was used for data collection. data were analysed by spss ver.18, using chi-square, and logistic regression tests for comparing groups.results: prevalence of stunting (height for age) was 11.1%, (disorder of growth = 7.7%, severe malnutrition = 3.4%), underweight (weight for age) was 9.8% (disorder of growth = 7%). malnutrition has significant association with birth grade, delivery type, hospitalization history, educational level of parents, parents' job, birth weight, vaccination and the regular consumption of supplementary vitamins (p < 0/05). conclusion: although prevalence of malnutrition in this study was lower than who statistic report, (30%) but this is locally important and health staff and parents must be educated on nutritional values. malnutrition is a major problem that is a reason for suppressed immune system, causing the increase of infectious diseases and infant mortality.