Malnutrition among hospitalized children is known to negatively affecting their response to therapy and prolong their hospital stay. Objectives: This study aimed to detect malnutrition among hospitalized children at the time of admission. Patient & method: This is a cross-sectional hospitalbased study, conducted at Al-Gumhouri Teaching Hospital, Sana’a, Yemen, from July to December 2019. All the patients from 1 month to 5 years of age had been included; anthropometric measures were obtained at the time of admission. Mean z- scores for weight-for-age, length/height-for-age, weight for length/height and prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting were calculated using the new WHO growth standards. Results: Two hundred and eighteen children were enrolled during the study period. The number of moderate to severely malnourished children was 106 with a prevalence of 48.6 %. Of the malnourished children 78 (73.6%) were male and 92 (86.8%) of them were below the age of 2 years. Most of the malnourished children were admitted to the hospital due to infectious diseases such as chest infection in 38 (35.8%) and gastroenteritis in 26 (24.5%). According to the WHO growth standards, 97 (91.5%), 78 (73.6%) and 52 (49.1%) children had underweight, stunting and wasting, respectively. Nonexclusive breastfeeding, illiterate mother, low family income and recurrent diarrhea were found to be independent risk factors of malnutrition. Conclusion: Initial screening for malnutrition should be performed on hospital admission so children can receive appropriate nutrition support in addition to the specific care for their illnesses.

Keywords : Prevalence, Malnutrition, Hospitalized Children, Yemen.