Weaning is an important factor in the aetiology of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). In the present study it was shown that the psychological aspects of weaning — i.e. separation from the mother — play a more important role in the development of PEM than do physical factors. Of children suffering from PEM, 80.4% were physically separated from the mother at time of weaning, whereas only 32% of a comparable healthy control group had undergone the trauma of separation.
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