INTRODUCTIONUnder-five children constitute the most vulnerable segment of any community. Their nutritional status is a sensitive indicator of community health and nutrition. Any major deviation in the nutrient intake, either in quality or in quantity from its requirement can affect growth in many ways. 1 Malnutrition among under-five children is an important public health problem in developing countries, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India. 2 Scarcity of suitable food, lack of purchasing power of the family, poor personal hygiene, inadequate knowledge regarding what the baby should ABSTRACT Background: Malnutrition among under-five children is an important public health problem in developing countries, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India, hence the present study was conducted to find out the nutritional status of under-five children and to elicit the factors associated with it. Methods: This community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 142 under-five children during May to June 2017 in the areas under the jurisdiction of Nasibpur Primary Health Centre, Singur, West Bengal, India. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, feeding habits and other biological factors were obtained from structured questionnaire, followed by anthropometric measurement. Assessment of nutritional status of the children was done with the help of Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed to analyse the data by using SPSS version 16.0. Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the sample was 28.4 (±15.2) months. About 36.1% children were found to have anthropometric failure using CIAF (wasting only 2.1%, wasting and underweight 14.5%, wasting, stunting and underweight 5.5%, stunting and underweight 6.3%, stunting only 4.9%, underweight only 2.8%). Education of mother [AOR = 3.6 (1.2-10.8)], birth order [AOR = 3.7 (1.4-9.9)], and exclusive breast feeding practice [AOR = 7.3 (2.9-18.1)] remained the significant correlates when adjusted with other variables in the multivariable analysis. Conclusions:The high prevalence of malnutrition in the community requires multipronged approach regarding nutritional education, intensive information education and communication (IEC) activities for exclusive breast feeding through antenatal clinics and adoption of family planning methods.

Background: Emergency Contraception (EC) is an important option for women exposed to unprotected sex to prevent unintended pregnancy and induced abortion. EC has a potential to offer women an important option for fertility control. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge about Emergency Contraception among currently married women of reproductive age in a rural area of West Bengal.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on 608 currently married women of reproductive age for 1 year from May 2017 to April 2018. Questionnaire was administered to women on knowledge of emergency contraception (EC). Data was analyzed in SPSS version 16.Results: Among the study participants 66% had knowledge of emergency contraception. A small number (8.9%) of the total participants ever used EC to prevent pregnancy. Only 65.3% of them had correct knowledge regarding timing of EC. Effectiveness of post-coital pill was known to them while none of these women were aware of the existence of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) insertion as an option for EC.Conclusions: Marked lacunae were observed regarding knowledge and practice of emergency contraceptives among the WRA. Proper and correct knowledge on Emergency Contraception is of urgent need among all sexually active women especially in this country for population stabilization.

Background: The nutritional status of under-5 children in slums is an important health indicator for assessing the health status of entire population. Reduction in malnutrition is a Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to improve child welfare. The study was conducted to assess the nutritional status of under-5 children in a slum of Kolkata and its associated factors.Materials and Methods: It was an observational, cross-sectional study among under-5 children in a slum area of Kolkata, West Bengal, India to determine nutritional status and its determinants using WHO Z-score and Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). A total of 129 under-5 children were included by simple random sampling. Data entry was done in SPSS. All ethical issues were addressed.Results: Out of total 129 children assessed, 31.8% were found to have anthropometric failure using CIAF. However, with standard anthropometric indices such as weight-for-age, weight-for-height, height-for-age, and mid upper arm circumference,17.8% were underweight, 9.3% were wasted, 16.3% were stunted and 14% were undernourished respectively. About 40.3% children had morbidity within last 2 weeks (acute respiratory infection 25.6%, diarrhoea 3.9%, fever 10.9%). Literacy of mother [AOR-3.79 (1.39-10.33)], exclusive breast feeding [AOR-6.1 (1.80-8.79)], personal hygienic practice [AOR-3.17 (1.02-10.02)] and morbidity profile [AOR-2.95 (1.13-7.72)] were significantly associated with nutritional status.Conclusion:The study identifies maternal education and care and infant and child feeding practices to have a bearing on the nutritional status of the children. Further large scale studies are warranted to determine the alleviation in the situation after addressing these factors.

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