Nutritional Profile of Children Under 5 Years of Age in a Tribal Community in the District of Maldah, West Bengal

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the nutritional status of under-5 tribal children. Design: Community-based cross-sectional observational study. Setting: Three tribal villages of the Chanchal II block of the Maldah district in West Bengal. Subjects and Methods: In 3 tribal villages, 188 children under 5 years of age were examined to detect nutritional deficiency disorders. By anthropometric measurement, nutritional grading of them was determined. Interviews of mothers provided breast-feeding and weaning practices. Results: 63.83% of study subjects were suffering from different grades of malnutrition. Prevalence of anaemia and angular stomatitis was 45.74% and 19.12%, respectively, among them.