الفهرس 
AcknowledgmentOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Institutionalized children particularly orphans represent a vulnerable group. The institutional environments can have a detrimental effects on their development. The nature of diet presented to those children and their nutritional status were not recently evaluated. Such data is highly needed to provide proper nutritional care to this unfortunate group of children. Therefore, the study was conducted to fu/fill the following aims: 1- To assess the nutritional status of housed children. 2- To assess the quality of diet presented in social institutions. 3- To identify the factors determining their nutritional status. 4. To design, implement and evaluate a nutrition intervention program to improve their nutritional status. To accomplish these aims: All institutions in Alexandria which are supervised by the Ministry of Social Affairs (except those housing few subjects) were included in the study. The total number of institutions was 16 (13 orphanages and 3 social educational boarding schools), and the total sample was 505 children aged 3-18 years which exceeded the estimated minimal sample size. For the implementation of this work, an interview questionnaire was used to collect data on personal characteristics, family data, factors related to institution, know ledge about nutrition. Anthropometric measurements such as weight, height, and mid upper arm circumference were measured and recorded. The 24-hour dietary recall technique was used to assess the actual food intake of each child. The dietary intake was analyzed using the local food composition tables of the Nutrition Institute (Cairo, 1996). Sample of venous blood was obtained ITom each of the subjects to assess hemoglobin concentration. A nutrition intervention program was designed and implemented to ~ promote the nutritional status of the children of an orphanage which was randomly selected to be the target group for nutritional intervention.