Table 3 Findings on the prevalence of malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies) in Vietnamese children aged 0–18 years old
Authors and year | Study design & duration | Sample age | Sample size | Measurements | Key findings—prevalence | Risk of bias |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 < 5 years old | ||||||
 Smuts et al. 2005 [2] | Baseline data of a double blinded, RCT | 6–11 months | 257 | Weight, height, WAZ, HAZ, and WHZ Blood: serum levels of Hb, ferritin, retinol, and zinc | 12.7% underweight 8.0% stunted 3.0% wasted 89.9% anaemic 20.2% retinol deficient 22.5% zinc deficient | Low |
 Khan et al. 2007 [23] | Repeat cross-sectional 1990–2005 (14 years) | 0–5 years | 357,396 1990 = 37,972 1994 = 37,654 2000 = 94,469 2002 = 91,921 2004 = 95,380 | Weight, height, and BMI | Underweight decreased by 18.4% (from 45% to 26.6%) Stunting decreased by 25.8% (from 56.5% to 30.7%) Wasting decreased by 1.7% (from 9.4% to 7.7%) | Low |
 Nguyen et al. 2007 [24] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 1,657 | Blood: serum retinol and Hb Retinol deficiency = retinol < 0.70 μmol/L Anaemia: Hb < 110 g/L | 12.0% retinol deficient 28.4% anaemic  < 6 months old: 35.1% retinol deficient 61.7% anaemic | Low |
 Nhien et al. 2008 [25] | Cross sectional | 1–6 years | 243 | Serum blood: copper, zinc, selenium, magnesium, retinol and Hb | 86.9% zinc deficient 55.6% anaemic 11.3% retinol deficient 50.2% underweight 36.2% stunted 14.4% wasted | Low |
 Dieu et al. 2009 [20] | Repeated cross sectional study 2002–2005 (3 years) | 4–5 years | 1,162 2002 = 492 2005 = 670 | Weight, height, BMI Underweight = WAZ < 5th percentile Overweight/ obesity BMI > 23 kg/m2 | 36.8% obese (2005) 21.4% overweight 7.5% underweight Overweight/ obesity increased by 52.9% (p < 0.001) | Low |
 Vaktskjold et al. 2010 [26] | Prospective cohort study 2005–2006 (1 year) | 0–1 year | 237 | Weight, HAZ, WLZ, and BMI-Z compared to WHO standards Blood: Hb (n = 189) | 79% below median for weight-for-length 18.0% in 5th percentile for length-for-age 9.6% in 5th percentile for weight-for age 9.6% in 5th percentile for weight-for-length 20.3% in 5th percentile for BMI-for age 11.1% anaemic | Low |
 Laillou et al. 2013 [27] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 532 | Weight, height Blood: plasma calcium and vitamin D | 21% vitamin D deficient 37% vitamin D insufficient 97% mild calcium deficient | Low |
 Nguyen et al. 2014 [28] | Cross-sectional | 0–5 years | 4,029 | Weight and height | 16.8% stunted 13.2% underweight 4.8% wasting | Medium |
 Lundeen et al. 2014 [29] | Longitudinal 8 years | 1–8 years | 1,830 | Weight, height and HAZ | 1 year: 21% stunted 5 years: 24% stunted 8 years: 19.2% stunted | Low |
 Giao et al. 2019 [22] | Prospective cross-sectional | 1–2 years | 768 (receiving vaccinations) | Weight, height, HAZ and BMI-Z | 8.2% stunted 10.7% overweight/ obese | Medium |
 Kim et al. 2022 [30] | Cross-sectional | 3–4 years | 103 | Weight, height, and BMI | 22.3% overweight/ obese | Low |
5–11 years old | ||||||
 Hop et al. 1997 [31] | Longitudinal 1981–1994 (14 years) | 0–10 years | 212 | Weight, height and feeding practices | Stunting at 21 months: 59.4% (male) & 58.3% (female) | Low |
 Hall et al. 2001 [32] | Cross-sectional 1998 | 7–11 years | 588 | Blood: Hb levels | 13% anaemic | Medium |
 Mai et al. 2003 [33] | Cross-sectional 1999 | 7–9 years | 348 Girls | Weight, height, LMAC, body fat and blood pressure | Rural: 21.8% underweight 13.5% stunted 11.5% wasted 0.0% obese Urban: 5.8% underweight 1.9% stunted 5.2% wasted 5.3% obese | Low |
 Tuan et al. 2008 [34] | Repeated cross sectional study 1992 – 2002 (10 years) | 2–17 years | 70,331 | Weight, height, and BMI | Overweight/ obesity increased from 1.4% to 1.8% (p = 0.07) Underweight increased from 32.1% to 33.5% (p = 0.11) | Low |
 Nguyen et al. 2013 [8] | Cross-sectional SEANUTS | 0.2–11.9 years | 2,872 | Weight, height, MUAC, waist and hip circumferences Blood: Hb, ferritin, vitamin A and D | 14% stunted (< 5 years) 8.6% underweight (< 5 years) 4.4% thin (< 5 years) 15.6% stunted (5–11.9 years) 22.2% underweight (5–11.9 years)  ~ 5% of overweight/obese children also stunted 38.65% anaemic (0.5–1.0 years) 18.25% anaemic (2–4.9 years) 12.47% anaemic (5–11 years) 7.75% retinol deficient (6–11.9 years) | Low |
 Huong et al. 2014 [35] | Cross-sectional | 6 months-18 years | 108 | Weight, height and MUAC | 19% wasted 13.9% stunted 0% obese 7% severe wasting at 6–59 months | Low |
 Le Nguyen et al. 2016 [36] | Cross-sectional 2011 SEANUTS | 6–11 years | 385 | Blood: Hb, ferritin and red blood cell count | 11.4% anaemic 5.6% iron deficient 0.4% ID anaemia | Low |
 Poh et al. 2016 [37] | Cross-sectional SEANUTS | 2–15 years | 2,016 | Blood: serum vitamin D | 11.1% vitamin D deficient 37.1% vitamin D insufficient 29.4% inadequate vitamin D | Low |
 Do et al. 2017 [19] | Longitudinal 2013–2016 (3 years) | 3–9 years | 2,602 | Weight and height | Overweight increased from 9.1% to 16.7% Obesity decreased from 6.4% to 4.5% | Low |
 Thuc et al. 2019 [38] | Cross-sectional | 6–11 years | 155 | Vitamin D deficiency: 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L | 23.9% vitamin D deficient | Medium |
 Le and Dinh 2022 [39] | Cross-sectional 2021 | 6–11 years | 782 | Height, weight and BMI-Z | 14.32% obese 21.61% overweight | Low |
12–18 years old | ||||||
 Hong et al. 2007 [40] | Repeat cross- sectional study 2002 & 2004 | 11–16 years | 3,687 2002 = 1,003 2004 = 2,684 | Height, weight, and BMI-Z | Overweight significantly increased, 6.7% (p < 0.001) Obesity significantly increased, 1.4% (p < 0.001) Underweight decreased, 6.4% (insignificant) BMI significantly greater in 2004 than 2002 (p < 0.001) | Low |
 Van Nhien et al. 2009 [41] | Cross-sectional | 11–17 years | 245 girls | Weight, height and BMI Blood: Hb and trace element levels | 20.7% undernourished 20.4% anaemic 26.5% zinc deficient | Low |
 Trang et al. 2012 [42] | Prospective cohort study 2004–2009 (5 years) | 11–14 years | 585 | Weight and height | Overweight/ obesity increased by 7.6% (from 14.2% to 21.8%) | Low |
 Phan et al. 2020 [43] | Cross-sectional 2018 | 11–14 years | 2,788 | Weight and height using WHO and IOTF classification | 17.4% overweight (WHO) 8.6% obese (WHO) 17.1% overweight (IOTF) 5.4% obese (IOTF) | Medium |
 Mai et al. 2020 [21] | Cross-sectional 2014–2015 | 6–18 years | 10,949 | Weight, height, BMI-Z and HAZ | Primary school children (6–13 years): 2.4% stunted 2.2% thin 24.3% overweight 26.9% obese Secondary school children (10–17 years): 3.8% stunted 4.6% thin 23.5% overweight 12.1% obese High school children (14–18 years): 7.9% stunted 6.0% thin 14% overweight 5.2% obese | Low |