Household Food Insufficiency and Child Nutritional Status in Urban Slum, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Introduction: Malnourished children are about 20% in the developing world. Food insecurity is a key risk factor for child malnutrition. Food insuffi ciency, an extreme form of household food insecurity, can aff ect physiological mechanisms that are linked to an individual’s nutritional status. Food-insuffi cient children are also more likely to have poorer health status and to experience a range of negative academic and psychosocial outcomes. Methods: We administered a cross-sectional socioeconomic survey to 354 households in research site, including a validated food insuffi ciency measurement questionnaire, and obtained anthropometric measurements from children aged 12 to 24 months. We used chi-square tests to assess the relationship between household food insuffi ciency and nutritional status of children. Results: Average age of study children was 18 months and standard deviation was (± 3.2 months). Th e status of household food insuffi ciency was 56%. Th e prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was 24%, 36% and 8% respectively. Th e household food insuffi ciency was signifi cantly (p<0.05) associated with underweight and stunting but not with wasting (p>0.05). Discussion: Th e study results indicate that food insuffi ciency is associated with stunting and underweight but not with wasting in urban slum of Bangladesh. We also found that child malnutrition is associated with mother’s education, father’s education, monthly family income and people per room.

Various Anthropometric Methods of Assessment of Nutritional Status in Under Five Children.

Background: For assessment of nutritional status of under five children various anthropometric indices are being used indiscriminately and so the estimated prevalence of malnutrition varies in different methods. Objectives: 1. To determine the prevalence of under nutrition is assessed as per various methods assessment of nutritional status in children under five years of age attending Anganwadi. 2. To compare the common anthropometric measurements in order to find out best suitable method for individual assessment of malnutrition. Materials & Methods: The under-five children attending Anganwadies were selected randomly and each child underwent different anthropometric measurement such as Gomez classification (Weight for age), Wasting (Weight for height), Stunting (Height for age) and mid-arm circumference by Bangle test. Statistical Analysis: Percentage, proportion and discriminant analysis were applied. Results: Total 235 under five children were included in the study. As per Gomez classification 119 (51.14%) children were undernourished. 67 ((28.52%) children were wasted, 116 (49.36%) children were stunted and as per Bangle test 75 (31.91%) children were undernourished. The discriminant analysis of all these methods observed that stunting has the highest proportion of correctly classifying a child into normal or malnourished group. Conclusion: Stunting should be preferred over other methods for assessment of nutritional status of under five children.

Nutritional status of under-fives in rural area of South India.

Background: Malnutrition is widely recognized as a major health problem in developing countries. It is wide spread in rural, tribal and urban slum areas. Growing children are most vulnerable to its consequences. Anthropometry is a simple field technique for evaluating physical growth and nutritional status of the children. Objective: To assess the nutritional status of under-fives'. Materials and Methods:This cross sectional study was conducted in Kakati-A sub-centre, under Primary Health Centre Vantamuri of Belgaum district. The sample size was 290. Data collection was done using pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. Statistical Analysis:Distribution of variables was assessed and comparison was done using chi square test and P value. Results: The prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting was observed to be 26.55%, 31.38% and 7.59%, while severe degree of underweight, stunting and wasting was observed in 5.86%, 27.24% and 6.51% respectively according to World Health Organization (WHO) 2006 classification. According to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) classification the prevalence of Grade I malnutrition was 121 (47.10%), Grade II was 29 (10.00%) and Grade III and IV were 4 (1.40%). Conclusion: Majority of the children's diet was not adequate for calories and proteins as per Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines. Less than half of children were underweight, nearly one third were stunted and one fifth of children were wasted. No child was found to be overweight or obese.

Nutritional status of tribal (garasia) school children of Sirohi District, Rajasthan.

We conducted this cross-sectional study in the schools of Sirohi district having predominately tribal (Garasia) children. Prevalence of stunting was 44% and 46.9% among boys 1255 and 762 girls aged 5-16, respectively using NCHS reference. Prevalence of thinness was higher among boys (69.7%) than girls (59.3%).