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The objective of this section is to present the best available data on a wide range of health and related indicators.  This should provide health planners and managers with easy access to data from a variety of sources.

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Underweight (%)

DefinitionChildren: Proportion of children with weight for age under 2 standard deviations from the norm (reference population median).

Adults: Percentage of people with body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2. BMI is weight in kg divided by the square of height in m.
ReferenceLabadarios D, editor. The National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS): Children aged 1-9 years, South Africa, 1999. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2000.
Ref. URLhttp://www.sun.ac.za/nutrition/nfcs.html
DetailsAnd SADHS
Keywords
Indicator Type: -> Health Status -> Nutrition

[Related Resources]

Indicator Data
View by [Ethnic] [Geographic (SA provinces)] [International] [District]

ECFSGPKZNLPMPNCNWWCZA
Underweight (%) [Definition]
1994 Grade 3 & 4---------[1] 9.0
1994 age 6-71 months---------[2] 9.3
1998 female5.87.03.45.47.24.912.58.14.9[3] 5.6
1998 female 65+---------7.4
1998 male11.518.89.711.119.716.923.117.55.8[4] 12.9
1998 male 65+---------9.9
1999 <5 years---------[5] 11.5
1999 age 1-9 years[6] 7.1[7] 14.3[8] 8.8[9] 6.0[10] 15.0[11] 4.2[12] 23.7[13] 15.3[14] 8.3[15] 10.3
1999 age 12-71 months---------[16] 11.1
2002 NYRBS7.79.57.47.212.18.214.314.26.0[17] 9.0
2003 female3.27.65.63.29.16.012.28.09.5[18] 6.2
2003 female rural---------[19] 7.1
2003 female urban---------[20] 5.7
2003 male10.918.014.34.119.516.425.719.89.2[21] 12.5
2003 male rural---------[22] 14.0
2003 male urban---------[23] 11.8
2003 under 5 years7.115.910.111.314.29.125.812.410.9[24] 11.5
EC: Eastern Cape  FS: Free State  GP: Gauteng  KZN: KwaZulu-Natal  LP: Limpopo  MP: Mpumalanga  NC: Northern Cape  NW: North West  WC: Western Cape  ZA: South Africa  

Notes and References

  1. SAVACG Survey: Children aged 6-71 months in South Africa 1994: their anthropometric, vitamin A, iron and immunisation coverage and status. The South African Vitamin A Consulting Group (SAVACG); 1995. http://www.sahealthinfo.org/nutrition/vitamina.htm
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/Nutrition/SAVACG_1995.pdf
    Children in grades 3 and 4.
  2. SAVACG Survey: Children aged 6-71 months in South Africa 1994: their anthropometric, vitamin A, iron and immunisation coverage and status. The South African Vitamin A Consulting Group (SAVACG); 1995. http://www.sahealthinfo.org/nutrition/vitamina.htm
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/Nutrition/SAVACG_1995.pdf
    CI: 8.5-10.1
  3. SADHS 1998: Department of Health, Medical Research Council & Measure DHS+. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 1998, Full Report. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2002. http://www.doh.gov.za/facts/1998/sadhs98/
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_1998_Full.pdf
  4. SADHS 1998: Department of Health, Medical Research Council & Measure DHS+. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 1998, Full Report. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2002. http://www.doh.gov.za/facts/1998/sadhs98/
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_1998_Full.pdf
  5. Millennium Development Goals: United Nations Development Programme Millennium Development Goals web site. Range of documents and reports relating to the MDGs. http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/
    Local copy: -
    Data downloaded 2005-07-29. Age group is 12-59 months for SA data.
  6. CI: 4.4-9.7
  7. CI: 9.4-19.1
  8. CI: 6.0-11.5
  9. CI: 3.9-8.2
  10. CI: 11.0-18.9
  11. CI: 0.9-7.5
  12. CI: 16.4-31.0
  13. CI: 10.6-20.0
  14. CI: 5.3-11.4
  15. Food Consumption Survey 1999: Labadarios D, editor. The National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS): Children aged 1-9 years, South Africa, 1999. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2000. http://www.sun.ac.za/nutrition/nfcs.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/Nutrition/NFCS/
    Table 4.14
  16. Food Consumption Survey 1999: Labadarios D, editor. The National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS): Children aged 1-9 years, South Africa, 1999. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2000. http://www.sun.ac.za/nutrition/nfcs.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/Nutrition/NFCS/
    CI: 9.7-12.5 Table 4.31
  17. NYRBS 2002: Reddy SP, Panday S, Swart D, Jinabhai CC, Amosun SL, James S, et al. Umthenthe Uhlaba Usamila The South African Youth Risk Behaviour Survey 2002. Cape Town: South African Medical Research Council; 2003. http://www.mrc.ac.za/healthpromotion/reports.htm
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/Behaviour/NYRBS_2002.pdf
  18. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
    Of respondents age 15 and above.
  19. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
  20. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
  21. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
    Of respondents age 15 and above.
  22. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
  23. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
  24. SADHS 2003: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, OrcMacro. South Africa Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Pretoria: Department of Health; 2007. http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/misc/sadhs-f.html
    Local copy: http://www.hst.org.za/indicators/SADHS_2003_full.pdf
    Measurements were restricted to those children under 5 years whose mother was interviewed. Thus orphans and other children who do not live with their biological mother were excluded.
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