Assessment of the Nutritional Status, Diet and Intestinal Parasites in Hosted Saharawi Children

Abstract

Since the early 1990s, Spanish humanitarian associations have welcomed Saharawi children from the refugee camps in Tindouf (Argelia). These children are the most affected by the lack of food, water, hygienic measures and health care. The main objective of this study was to analyze the anthropometric, nutritional and parasitological data of 38 Saharawi boys and girls (from 10 to 13 years old) under a holiday host program in the city of Valencia. Our results confirm that malnutrition and multiparasitism are highly frequent, so it is understood that living conditions in refugee camps continue to be precarious with a lack of proper hygiene and nutrition. Furthermore, biochemical alterations, lactose malabsorption and the risk of celiac disease, also detected in our study as a secondary objective, will complicate nutritional management and restoration of health. For this reason, sustainable feeding alternatives and interventions from a hygienic and nutritional point of view are proposed, emphasizing in an improvement in the education of parents and children.