Changes in nutritional status among children under five years after three months of nutrition counselling supported by VNSNutrition at the National Institute of Nutrition in 2025

Abstract

A study was conducted among 224 children aged 0-59 months who attended the National Institute of Nutrition in 2025, together with their caregivers, to describe changes in nutritional status after three months of nutrition counselling supported by the VNSNutrition software. Weight-for-age Z-score (WAZ), height-for-age Z-score (HAZ), and weight-for-height Z-score (WHZ) were assessed at baseline (T0) and after three months (T1) in the same children; changes in nutritional status between the two time points were analysed using McNemar’s test. The results showed that the proportion of children with at least one form of malnutrition decreased from 47.3 to 38.8% (p<0.001). The prevalence of wasting decreased from 17.4 to 13.8% (p=0.021), stunting from 31.2 to 24.1% (p<0.001), and underweight from 32.6 to 25.9% (p<0.001). The prevalence of overweight and obesity declined from 2.7 to 2.2%, but the difference was not statistically significant (p=1.000). The proportion of children with concurrent stunting and underweight decreased from 19.2 to 13.4% (p<0.001), while the proportion with all three forms of malnutrition decreased from 7.1 to 3.6% (p=0.008). WAZ, HAZ, and WHZ values at T1 were all higher than those at T0 (p<0.001). These findings indicate an improvement in the nutritional status of children after three months of nutrition counselling supported by VNSNutrition.