Burden of Malnutrition among under Five Year Children in Field Practice Area of Rural Health Training Center (RHTC) Attached to SMS Medical College, Jaipur (Rajasthan) India
Abstract
Malnutrition in under five children is a very important public health problem of developing countries like India. Malnutrition in children is a important risk factor for child mortality. So this study was conducted on 700 under five children to find out prevalence of various types of malnutrition in under five children of rural community of field practice area of RHTC attached to SMS Medical College, Jaipur (Rajasthan) India. Prevalence of under-weight, stunting and wasting was found 32.40%, 39.29% and 20.14%, respectively in present study as per 'Z' score criteria. As per Shakir's tape 14% of under five children were in red zone and 26.57% were in yellow zone. According to Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) classification, 31.0% were had severe wasting while 60 % had mild to moderate wasting condition. It is concluded from this study that prevalence of under-weight, stunting and wasting was quite high in present study. So there is strong need for researches to find out associating factors of these malnutrition and to make aware the mothers of under five children about healthy development of under five children.
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Introduction
The optimal growth of infants & young children is fundamental for their future. Malnutrition is one of the most important public health problems in developing countries, including India
In India, like many developing countries, the most common nutritional problems in infancy and early childhood are stunting, wasting; iron-deficiency anaemia, poverty and low birth weight. 1,2 Malnutrition during the first two years of life can lead to mortality and morbidity in childhood3,4 and is one of the most preventable risk factors for mortality. 5 According to NFHS-4 6 38%, 21%, 7.5% and 35.7% of under-5 children were stunted, wasted, severely wasted and underweight respectively in India.6
Systematic reviews of the effectiveness of some of the major nutrition interventions, such as promotion of breastfeeding, 7 promotion of complementary feeding through education or food provision8,9 and supplementation with single or multiple nutrients10,11 usually show significant impacts on behaviour but modest and context dependent impacts on malnutrition prevalence12 . Moreover, few children in the developing world currently benefit from optimal breastfeeding practices, as well as sufficient dietary diversity and meal frequency. 3
Conclusion
In the present study, the prevalence of under-weight, stunting and wasting was found 32.40%, 39.29% and 20.14%, respectively. It is concluded from this study that prevalence of under-weight, stunting and wasting was quite high in present study. So there is strong need for researches to find out associating factors of these malnutrition and to make aware the mothers of under five children about healthy development of under five children.