GENDER DIFFERENCES IN NUTRITIONAL-STATUS AND FEEDING PATTERNS AMONG INFANTS IN THE GAZA-STRIP

Objectives. This study examined gender variation in nutritional treatm ent and anthropometric status of infants in the Gaza Strip. Numerous s tudies have documented gender differences in health status in developi ng areas, generally finding boys to be at an advantage over girls. Soc ial and economic characteristics in Gaza suggest that one might expect preferential treatment of boys there. Methods. The study used data on two samples of infants 0 to 18 months of age collected from five heal th centers in Gaza. A variety of different analytic methods were used to look for gender differences in feeding patterns, prevalence of maln utrition, and anthropometric status. Results. Although some difference s in nutritional treatment and anthropometric outcome for infants of d ifferent socioeconomic status and between the earlier and later sample s were found, no consistent gender differences were revealed.Conclusio ns. The findings are consistent with several different explanations. F irst, expectations of finding gender differences may have been unfound ed. Alternatively, such differences may have existed previously but ha ve been eliminated through successful public health intervention, risi ng levels of education, and economic development.