Background: Nutrition is a critical part of health and development. Factors responsible for the higher prevalence of malnutrition in South Asian countries including India comprise LBW, maternal health problems, delay in introduction of complementary feeds, faulty child care and other poor environmental conditions which are again more prevalent in slums. Adequate nutrition is the keystone of survival, health, and development not only of current generations but also of the ones to come.
Objectives: To study the pattern of nutritional status and identify the different maternal variables affecting the nutritional status of the under five children of urban slums of District Dehradun.
Methods: The cross sectional study was carried out in two urban slums of District Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Mothers of under five children were interviewed by using pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. Nutritional status of the children was assessed by anthropometric measurements.
Results: Out of the 381 under five children surveyed, 200(52.4) were undernourished. Nearly 161(42.3), 74 (19.4) and 93(24.4) children were Underweight, Wasted and Stunted respectively and under nutrition was more prevalent among boys 114(61.0). Prevalence of under nutrition was more where mother's age was less than 18 years. Children of educated mothers were better nourished as compared to illiterate ones and who neither consume extra meal during antenatal period nor EBF their children. Malnutrition was slightly
higher amongst those children whose calorie intake was <75% of RDA and more
than half (52.1%) of the anemic children were found to be undernourished.
Conclusions: The prevalence of undernourished children was high and maternal
factors viz. maternal age, literacy, nutritional intake and anemia lay a significant role in the nutritional status of the children.
Impact Factor
2017: 6.614
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