ABSTRACT
Objective. To assess the prevalence of thinness among 2-6 year old children of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme Bali-Gram Panchayat, Hooghly, West Bengal, India. Methods. Height and weight measurements were taken. The body mass index (BMI) was computed. The new international cut-off points classification proposed by Cole et al were utilized to identify thinness. Results. The overall (age-combined) mean BMI among boys and girls were 13.2 kg/m2 (sd = 1.7) and 13.0 kg/m2 (1.6), respectively. Mean BMI decreased from 2 to 5 years in both sexes. There were a significant (p < 0.05) sex difference in mean BMI (t = 2.57) at age 3 years. The overall (age-combined) prevalence of thinness among boys and girls were 84.8 % and 85.6 %, respectively. Conclusion. The results of the present study clearly indicates that the nutritional status of these children is of concern.
Subject(s)
Body Mass Index , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Infant , Male , Rural Population , Thinness/epidemiologySubject(s)
Adolescent , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Growth Disorders/epidemiology , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Prevalence , Thinness/epidemiologySubject(s)
Adolescent , Body Mass Index , Child , Female , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Malnutrition/epidemiology , Nutritional Status , Rural HealthABSTRACT
Low birth-weight is a leading health problem in developing countries. In a randomized controlled trial, the effect of antimicrobials in pregnant women on improving birth-weight and duration of gestation was evaluated. Two hundred twenty-four pregnant women in their second trimester were randomized to receive metronidazole (200 mg 3 times daily for 7 days) and cephalexin (500 mg twice daily for 5 days) orally by one group. The mean (+/-SD) birth-weights were 2,545 g (+/-374) and 2584 g (+/-358, p=0.51), the low birth-weight rates (<2.5 kg) were 40% and 36% (p = 0.28), and the prematurity rates were 8% and 11% (p = 0.6) in the treated group and the control group respectively. Due to small sample size, it is cautiously concluded that routine antimicrobials for genital and urinary tract infections of pregnant women do not improve birth-weight or duration of gestation. Rather an unexpected observation was the proportion requiring caesarian section or forceps, which was five-fold higher in the treated group (p = 0.001), and given no plausible explanations, this finding needs confirmation. Stunted mothers (<25th centile or 146.4 cm) had two-fold higher risk for low birth-weight (p = 0.04) and assisted delivery (p = 0.1). Low maternal body mass index (<25th centile or 18) had six-fold higher risk for stillbirth or abortion (p = 0.007), and high body mass index (>75th centile or 21.2) had three-fold higher risk for assisted delivery (p = 0.003).