Acute Malnutrition and Under-5 Mortality, Northeastern Part of India

Sukhsohale

et al. 2016

Int J Contemp Pediatr

Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) and Malnutrition in children have tremendous burden on the health care sector of developing nations including India. The intensity with which these conditions are holding grip in the community is indeed a matter of concern and hence developing nations should develop an insight to assess the severity of it has become a necessity.Methods: A hospital based cross sectional study was carried out in children aged 0-14 years. Children were clinically assessed and diagnosis was made as URTI or LRTI Also anthropometry was performed and accordingly children were divided into categories of no malnutrition (NM), severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) in ‘under 5’ years age children according to WHO guidelines, whereas children aged ‘above 5’ years were categorized as per the IAP guidelines.Results: It was observed that most of the mothers of children were illiterate with inadequate or absent ventilation and use of biomass fuels (chulha) for cooking purpose in households of rural children. The proportion of malnutrition was found to be equal in Under 5 children. In ‘above 5 years’ age study subjects, 52.4% of urban study subjects were normal as compared to 16.7% of rural study subjects.Conclusions: Our study implies that ARI and Malnutrition definitely is more prevalent in the pediatric population. Prevalence of URTI was found to be on a higher side in the rural population and LRTI prevalence was found to be higher in the urban population. Similarly, the prevalence of malnutrition was almost similar in ‘Under 5’ aged children, whereas the prevalence of malnutrition in ‘Above 5’ aged children was higher in the rural population than urban population.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

Clinico-epidemiological profile of acute respiratory infections and malnutrition in urban and rural population of central India

Sukhsohale

et al. 2016

Int J Contemp Pediatr

Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health

“…Melghat is a difficult-to-reach, hilly, forest area where majority of the tribal are living below poverty line. 7 Employment opportunities, food security, communication and transport facilities are urgently needed to tackle the problem of severe under nutrition. 8 Provision of special package for tribal area like Melghat is needed to solve the grave situation of under nutrition in India in general and Maharashtra in particular.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 Despite the fact that under nutrition has been a major public health problem among tribal children population, scarce data and little information about prevalence and types of under nutrition is available from this part of India, which is experiencing unusually high infant mortality year after year. 7 Complete, reliable and valid data regarding prevalence of under nutrition may help in planning and designing effective strategies on important health and nutrition related outcomes in this under privileged and weaker section of the society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of under nutrition in under-five tribal children of Melghat: A community based cross sectional study in Central India

Dani

Satav

Pendharkar

et al. 2015

UnderweightWasting SAM a b s t r a c t Objective: Under nutrition has chronically remained a major public health problem among tribal children population in India. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of various forms of under nutrition in 'under five' children in Melghat e a difficult to reach, hilly, forest area of Maharashtra in Central India using different standards.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Dharni & Chikhaldara blocks in tribal area of Melghat over a period of two months. A representative sample of 2926 under-five children from randomly chosen 33 villages in two blocks was selected with cluster sampling. Information on various demographic and anthropometric characteristics (e.g. age, sex, height, weight) of study subjects was collected in a pre-designed proforma by trained tribal female village health workers (VHWs). Under nutrition was assessed by using Standard WHO criteria like stunting, underweight, wasting, and IAP grades; alone and in combination. Crude and adjusted prevalence estimates accounting for clustering effect were obtained along with 95% Confidence Intervals.Results: Out of total 2926 U5 children, 1006 (34.4%) were severely stunted, 547 (18.7%) were SUW and 209 (7.1%) were SAM, and 199 (6.8%) were severely under nourished (grade IIIeIV) according to IAP standards. However, when various WHO criteria & IAP gradations were applied in combination, more number 2241 i.e. (76.59%) of the U5 children in Melghat were found to be severely or moderately under nourished. by one or more standards.Conclusion: Very high prevalence of severe stunting, severe underweight and severe acute malnutrition was found in tribal U5 children population in Melghat. A combination of more than one criteria may be useful in tracking more number of under nourished children in tribal communities, which otherwise would be missed by any single criterion alone. The study findings will be helpful in planning prevention and planning of programmes that would focus more on populations most affected.

“…One in every three malnourished children in the world lives in India. 13 The nutritional level of under-five children has a wide variation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence and associated risk factors with malnutrition among under-five Nepalese children of Borbote village, Ilam

et al. 2013

Background: Malnutrition is a major public health & nutrition problem in Nepal. It is associated with many risk factors like low birth weight, multiple birth, short spaced birth, extra diet, and iron supplementation in pregnancy etc. Objectives: This study aims at finding out the nutritional status of under-five Nepalese children of Borbote village, Ilam and risk factors associated with malnutrition. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in Borbote village, Ilam. A total of 186 under-five children was selected by purposive sampling. Non parametric test was applied to find out statistical significance. Logistic regression method was used to identify the factors influencing the malnutrion. Results: According to WHO, 20% children were malnourished . of which 14% were moderately undernourished and 6% were severely undernourished. Mothers exclusively breast feeding for 6 months had only 20.0% low weight for age children and those who didn.t had 34.8% (P=0.041). Pregnant ladies who took iron supplements had 20.5% of low weight for age children compared to 37.1% (P =0.037) in those who didn.t take supplements. Malnutrition was found more in those who were below poverty line 27.94% (P=0.023) compared to those above poverty line 12.00%. Conclusion: Significant number of under-five children of Bortbote village was malnourished. Maternal factors have significant association with nutritional status of the children which include extra diet in pregnancy and lactation, iron supplements in pregnancy, exclusive breast feeding for six months. Extra attention should be provided by the Ministry of Health towards maternal and child health. Health Renaissance, January-April 2013; Vol. 11 No.1; 111-118 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hren.v11i2.8217