Based on NCHS references or WHO growth standards, the prevalences of stunting and underweight have substantially declined since 1987, but remained at 10-12% for stunting and 10-15% for underweight during the past two decades. Wasting has been relatively low (5%) and no severe malnutrition among young children has been reported as a public health problem since the late 1980s. Despite the economic crisis that hit Thailand in 1997, rates of both stunting and underweight did not increase.
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The prevalence of low birth weight increased slightly (from 8.2% in 1996 to 8.7% in 1998). There was a slight upward trend in school child underweight prevalence (14.9% in 1997),
but this level decreased to 12.5% in the subsequent year.