COMMUNITY NUTRITION SURVEY IN AN URBAN SETTLEMENT IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA

Results of a small nutrition survey carried out in an urban settlement in Port Moresby are presented. Anthropometric, dietary and socioecono mic data were collected on 90 children under five years old and 78 adu lts. 30 % of the children under five years old were below 80 % weight for age. Of the 31 % of adults found to be undernourished, the majorit y were females aged less than 30 years. With respect to dietary inform ation, most families appear to eat a variety of foods though no attemp t was made to measure quantity of foods consumed. Rice is the single m ost popular food, with 69 % of adults having consumed it the previous day. Despite the high reliance on purchased foods, income appears to b e low with the majority of people relying on money from relatives and the sale of home produce. The recommendations made for appropriate hea lth and nutrition education may be applicable for other growing settle ment populations in and around Port Moresby and other urban centres of Papua New Guinea.