children ’ s growth and development ( see sidebar ).

President , Association of Specialists in Private Medical Practice in Malaysia and Fellow of Academy of Sciences Malaysia ( FASc ), Datuk Dr Balwant Singh Gendeh said : “ About half of the children aged between one to five years in Malaysia attend an early childhood educational programme ( ECE ).

“ Unemployed mothers are less likely to attend ECE than mothers employed in civil service . Early detection of physical disabilities and mental health issues in children can be detected by the Montessori teaching method .”

Dr Juanita continued : “ There is a need for community support services for parental health literacy and child development . This can be run by

community or specialist nurses , who can screen for developmental difficulties and counsel parents regarding parenting and behavioural management .” – The Health

THE VALUABLE information provided in the National Health and Morbidity Survey ( NHMS ) 2022 : Maternal and Child Health ( MCH ), which assesses the health status of women and children in the country , is helpful for doctors .

“ The NHMS is an important platform for monitoring the population ’ s health in Malaysia , said Datuk Dr Balwant Singh Gendeh , President of the Association of Specialists in Private Medical Practice Malaysia ( ASPMP ).

“ It is conducted every four years since 2011 , focussing on non-communicable diseases and health care demand in Malaysia ,”

The first NHMS MCH was conducted in 2016 and then repeated a second time in 2022 , both of which concentrated on the health status of mothers with their most recent child under the age of two , children under the age of five , and women of reproductive age , 15 to 49 years .

Topics covered on infant and child health include ; vaccination , nutritional status , infant & young child feeding practice , child development , child diseases , child discipline , child oral health and anaemia .

KEY FINDINGS ON CHILD HEALTH FOR CHILDREN AGED 0-59 MONTHS

Infant & young child feeding

• Prevalence of early initiation breastfeeding within 24 hours : 88.6 per cent

• Prevalence of ever been breastfed : 94.9 per cent

• Prevalence of continued breastfeeding among children aged 12-23 months : 50.6 per cent

Oral health

• Prevalence of the last time a child ’ s teeth had been examined less than one year ago : 62.4 per cent

• Prevalence of place receiving dental examination or treatment : - Government dental clinic :

83.1 per cent - Private dental clinic : 15.1 per cent - Others : 1.8 per cent

Child morbidities

• Prevalence of children having the episode of ( in the last two weeks ): - Diarrhoea : 3.1 per cent

- Acute respiratory infection ( ARI ): 1.4 per cent

- Either diarrhoea or ARI : 4.4 per cent

Child discipline

• Prevalence of discipline methods experienced by children : - Any violent discipline : 66.6 per cent - Psychological aggression :

58.1 per cent - Physical punishment : 40.6 per cent

KEY FINDINGS ON ASSESSMENT FOR CHILDREN BELOW FIVE YEARS OLD

Nutritional status

• Prevalence of low birth weight among full-term infants : 6.6 per cent

• Prevalence of nutritional status among under-five children : - Stunting : 21.2 per cent - Wasting : 11.0 per cent - Underweight : 15.3 per cent - Overweight : 6.0 per cent

Child development

• Prevalence of children having developmental delay : 7.4 per cent

• Prevalence of developmental delay by domain : - Gross motor : 1.0 per cent - Fine motor : 1.9 per cent - Speech / hearing : 2.7 per cent - Social : 4.1 per cent

Vaccination coverage

• Prevalence of primary vaccination coverage : - Verified complete : 83.5 per cent - Self-reported complete : 3.6 per cent - Incomplete : 11.9 per cent - Unvaccinated : 1.0 per cent

• Prevalence of complete vaccination coverage by types of vaccine : - BCG : 94.9 per cent - HEP B : 86.8 per cent - DTaP-IPV-Hib : 90.7 per cent - Pneumococcal : 92.8 per cent - MMR : 88.1 per cent

Anaemia

• Prevalence of anaemia among children aged 6-59 months : - Mild : 24.3 per cent - Moderate : 21.9 per cent - Severe : 0.3 per cent - Non-Anaemia : 53.5 per cent

growth , managing immunisations and forming healthy eating habits .

TOOLKIT CONTENTS

To give parents the tools they need to take charge of their children ’ s health and ensure their overall well-being , this toolkit includes healthcare information compiled by reputable experts in the field . It is presented in a user-friendly and easily digestible format .

Within the toolkit , a wide array of resources is dedicated to child

healthcare and overall well-being . The toolkit is divided into four sections , each featuring a convenient pull-out insertion with specific information related to that section :

• Child growth – it ensures children reach their full growth potential . It provides parents with information and growth charts to track and monitor their child ’ s physical development .

• Child development - this section lets parents track and monitor their

child ’ s milestones and cognitive growth . It includes Malaysia ’ s first comprehensive milestone tracker for the early years .

• Child health – it focuses on prioritising the well-being of children . It includes immunisation charts to ensure necessary vaccinations are kept up-to-date , along with informative details about specific diseases .

• Child nutrition and healthy living - this section focuses on

cultivating healthy habits and nourishing children properly . It features a comprehensive guide to complementary feeding , assisting new parents in navigating the introduction of solid foods to their children with the appropriate approach . The Positive Parenting 360 ° Growth and Development Toolkit is an ‘ enhanced baby book ’ allowing parents to track and monitor their child ’ s overall well-being .