Malnutrition among Under Five Children in Peri-Tribal areas: A study on Prevalence and Factors associated in Vadodara District of Gujarat State in India

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition among under-five children is a foremost public health problem across India. United Nation estimates that 6.3 million under the age of five die in India, of which 45% die due to malnutrition. The objective of the study was to find out the prevalence and factors associated with malnutrition in terms of underweight, stunting, and wasting in children under five years of age in peri-tribal areas. Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted at the Anganwadi centres in 6 villages under the Rural Health Training Centre. Out of nine Anganwadi centres, five were selected using systematic random sampling method. Total of 370 children aged below five years were selected. Results: Among the 370 children aged 0-5 years, 29.1% children were normally nourished, 70.79% children were malnourished and had one or more form of malnutrition. Only stunting was present in 19.5% children and only wasting was present in 8.9% children. Both underweight and stunting were seen in 5.94% children. Both stunting and wasting were present in 22.16% children and wasting and underweight were present in 10.5% children. respectively, 1% Children were suffering from underweight, stunting and wasting. All three indices (Underweight, Stunting & Wasting) of under nutrition were found to be higher in low-birth-weight children. Conclusion: Mother's educational qualification is strongly associated with nutritional status of children. This might be due to better health care practices in terms of proper exclusive breast feeding, in-time complementary feeding and quality and quantity of complementary feeding among literate mothers as compared to illiterate mothers.

Keywords

• malnutrition
• underweight
• stunting
• wasting
• birth weight
• health education