Knowledge regarding immunization among mothers of under-five children in Uttarakhand

Background: Immunization is one of the most impactful and cost-effective health investments globally that helps in reducing the burden of infectious diseases keeping children safe. Mothers are the major role players with regard to their children’s immunization. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge regarding immunization among mothers of under-five children in the Doiwala block of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. A total of one hundred mothers of under-five children were conveniently selected through door-to-door survey. A structured knowledge questionnaire on under-five immunization was administered through the interview technique to assess the knowledge of the mothers. Results: Among 100 mothers of under-five children 13% had poor knowledge, 63% had average knowledge and 24% had good knowledge regarding under-five immunization. There was significant association between age, education status and socioeconomic status of mothers with knowledge score regarding under-five immunization. Conclusions: There is a strong need to increase awareness and knowledge about immunization among children; its benefits and importance. There is also a need to educate people especially mothers regarding harmful consequences of incomplete immunization of children.

The universal immunization programme coverage and determining factors among tribal children under the age of five in the Wayanad district of Kerala, South India

Background: Globally an estimated two to three million deaths occur every year in all age groups, from six major vaccine-preventable diseases and accounts for almost a quarter of all deaths in children under the age of five years. As Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective methods for preventing infectious diseases, the Indian government initiated a vaccination programme to reduce infant mortality and morbidity owing to vaccine-preventable diseases, and achieve vaccine self-sufficiency. In Kerala, about 1.5% of the total population makes up Scheduled Tribes, a socioeconomic group with continuously poor health indicators. Methods: Through a community-based cross-sectional study using cluster sampling technique, this study intends to determine the coverage of the universal immunization programme among tribal children (0-59 months), the factors affecting vaccination coverage as well as the reasons for partial immunization in Noolpuzha Panchayat, Wayanad. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from caregivers/mothers. Results: Out of 289 study population, 64.4% were fully immunized and 35.6% were partially immunized. Children's age and the father's education were found to affect immunization. Conclusions: As a lack of knowledge about immunizations and subsequent doses was the primary reason for partial immunization. There is a need to create awareness about the importance of vaccination and the subsequent doses among the tribal people of Wayanad.

Interstate migration and its association with the prevalence of stunting in under-five children of the migrant families in Delhi-NCR, India: a cross-sectional study

Background: Interstate migration in India is increasing every year. Children of the migrant families often face poor living conditions and insufficient nutrition, as a result of various socio-economic determinants. This study aimed to understand the association between rural-to-urban migration and under-five stunting, and the various determinants involved. This study allows researchers to make pre and post pandemic comparison of stunting among migrant children in Delhi, since it was carried-out post the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried-out in the bhatti mines area of south Delhi, using a systemic sampling method. 100 households each of migrants and non-migrants were approached, and height of the under-five children was measured. Stunting was estimated using WHO child growth standards. Information on demography and socio-economic determinants was collected from the mothers using a questionnaire. Results: Stunting was recorded in 62% of the migrant under-five children and 27% in the non-migrant children, with a significant difference between the two groups (p value <0.001), indicating a significant association between migration and stunting. Source of drinking water (p<0.05) and recurring episodes of diarrhea (p<0.05) were also found to be strongly associated with under-five stunting. Conclusions: Under-five nutritional deficits lead to compromised immunity and delay in physical and mental growth and development. It is important to recognize and address the diverse needs of the under-five migrant population’s health in order to avoid stunting and other serious manifestations.

The status of research on malnutrition among children under 5 years in Southern Africa: a systematic review

Malnutrition rates remain alarming with stunting declining too slowly while wasting still impacts the lives of many young children. Globally, 5.6 million children die before their fifth birthday annually, with 80% of these deaths occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. A total of 29 most relevant articles were included, which followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses for protocols (PRISMA-P). The literature search was conducted in multiple electronic databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, and Research Gate. A large proportion of the literature focused on determining factors associated with malnutrition. Similarities were found amongst various articles with findings highlighting household food insecurity as a major threat that leads to inadequate feeding practices and consequently resulting in undernutrition. This review assessed the state of knowledge on malnutrition in Southern Africa. The authors identified knowledge gaps that should be considered for future research. We did not come across any evaluation studies assessing food security interventions in response to malnutrition. Moreover, sanitation in relation to malnutrition is not broadly researched. We recommend future studies to apply a cross-sectional analytic design with mixed methods, combining survey data, geographical data, household and key informant interviews. There is a need to map the prevalence of malnutrition in children under five years and providing more knowledge on vulnerability and contexts that influence malnutrition including socio-economic, environmental and infrastructural conditions. We further recommend the use of GIS databases to generate information on spatio-temporal patterns of malnutrition.

Socio-demography, nutritional status, age-appropriate immunization coverage and morbidity among under-five children in rural Maharashtra

Background: Morbidities among under-five children in rural areas is a major public health problem. This study was conducted to assess the nutritional status, age-appropriate immunization coverage, personal hygiene and morbidity pattern among under-5 children and their socio-demographic determinates in rural slum dwellings. Methods: A community based cross sectional study was conducted in rural area of Maharashtra using purposive sampling technique. The survey was done by using predesigned and pretested proforma along with recording of socio-demographic factors, anthropometric measurements, immunization status and clinical examination of the study subjects. Results: The study included 86 under-5 children from a rural slum dwelling. 16 (18.60%) subjects were underweighted, 35 (40.70%) were stunted and 14 (16.28%) were wasted. 04 (04.65%) and 02 (02.33%) subjects were MAM and SAM respectively. 35 (40.70%) subjects were morbid. 20 (23.26%) subjects were suffering from louse infestation of which 07 (14.58%) were boys and 13 (34.21%) were girls (p<0.05). 17 (19.77%) subjects were suffering from dental caries. 12 (13.95%) subjects were suffering from skin diseases. 23 (26.74%) subjects were suffering from oral health problems. All subjects’ personal hygiene was poor. 72 (83.72%) subjects were age-appropriate fully immunized. The association between monthly family income and presence of stunting among the subjects is statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions: Underweight, stunting, wasting, MAM, SAM, louse infestation, skin diseases, dental caries, oral health problems and poor immunization coverage are found to be major health problems among the under-five children in rural areas. Poor personal hygiene of under-5 children is also a major issue. Capacity building of parents for early health seeking and strengthening of primary health care services is essential to act timely in managing these morbidities.

Health­seeking behavior among mothers of under­five children in Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: In most developing countries, the health of the children is strongly dependent on maternal health­care­seeking behavior. The ability of caregivers to recognize and seek appropriate care for childhood illnesses is instrumental in reducing childhood deaths and preventing significant number of complications. The study aimed to determine the health­care­seeking behavior and associated factors among the mothers of under­five (U5) children in Sokoto Metropolis. Methodology: This was a descriptive, cross­sectional study carried out among 386 mothers of U5 children in Sokoto metropolis from August 1 to September 30, 2021. The study participants were selected using the multistage sampling technique. Astructured questionnaire was used to collect the information. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 24. The level of significance for Chi­square was set at a P < 0.05. Results: Majority 312 (80.8%) of the respondents U5 children had fallen sick in the last 6 months, most of which 238 (61.7%) were not taken to a health facility. The major reasons why respondents do not take their U5 children to a health facility when sick are because they bought drugs from patent medicine vendor and perceiving the illness of the U5 as not serious to warrant taking the child to a health facility in 93 (24.1%) and 63 (16.3%), respectively. There was association (P ≤ 0.05) between health­care­seeking behavior and respondents' level of education, occupation, monthly income, as well as distance taken to reach a health facility within 30 min' walk. Conclusions: The health­seeking behavior of the mothers for their U5 was poor. Maternal level of education, occupation, income, and lesser number of children in the family were the factors that were significantly associated with seeking health facility care for a sick U5. This study recommends girl child education, women empowerment, and increase access to family planning by the government. atteindre un centre de santé en moins de 30 minutes de marche.

Fond: Dans la plupart des pays en développement, la santé des enfants dépend fortement du comportement de la mère en matière de soins de santé. La capacité des soignants à reconnaître et à rechercher les soins appropriés pour les maladies infantiles contribue à réduire le nombre de décès d'enfants et à prévenir un nombre important de complications. L'étude visait à déterminer le comportement de recherche de soins et les facteurs associés chez les mères d'enfants de moins de cinq ans dans la métropole de Sokoto. Méthodes: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale descriptive menée auprès de 386 mères d'enfants de moins de cinq ans dans la métropole de Sokoto entre le 1er août et le 30 septembre 2021. Les participants à l'étude ont été sélectionnés à l'aide d'une technique d'échantillonnage à plusieurs niveaux. Un questionnaire structuré a été utilisé pour recueillir des informations. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide de la version 24 de SPSS. Le niveau de signification pour le chi carré a été fixé à une valeur p de < 0,05. Résultats: La majorité des 312 (80,8%) enfants U5 interrogés sont tombés malades au cours des 6 derniers mois, dont la plupart des 238 (61,7%) n'ont pas été emmenés dans un centre de santé. Les principales raisons pour lesquelles les personnes interrogées n'emmènent pas leurs enfants U5 dans un centre de santé lorsqu'ils sont malades sont qu'ils ont acheté des médicaments auprès de vendeurs de médicaments brevetés et que 93 (24,1%) et 63 (16,3%) respectivement considèrent que la maladie de l'enfant U5 n'est pas suffisamment grave pour justifier qu'on l'emmène dans un centre de santé. Il existe un lien (p=<0,05) entre le comportement de recherche de soins et le niveau d'éducation, la profession, le revenu mensuel, ainsi que la distance parcourue pour Conclusions : Le comportement des mères en matière de recherche de soins de santé pour leurs enfants de moins de cinq ans était médiocre. Le niveau d'éducation de la mère, sa profession, son revenu et le fait qu'elle ait moins d'enfants dans la famille sont des facteurs significativement associés à la recherche de soins dans un centre de santé pour un enfant de moins de 5 ans malade. Cette étude recommande l'éducation des filles, l'autonomisation des femmes et l'amélioration de l'accès au planning familial par le gouvernement.

Mothers' Knowledge and practices towards pneumonia too children underffive years age in Makambako Town-Njombe

Background:Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection caused by severe linfectious agents, such as viruses, bacteria,and fungi.It affects the lungs.T his study aimed to assess mothers'knowledge and practices regarding pneumonia inchildren under five years of age in Makambako town. The study focuse don exploring knowledge, awareness, practices, andthe under five which mothers understand the disease and measures taken to protect children to prevent and reduce the disease extent to community-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, employing random and purposive sampling techniques to obtain 106 respondents in the study area who filled out the structured questionnaires. All structured questionnaires questionnaires were completeness and then entered into SPSS for analysis. The prevalence is high,as there were cases of of of pneumonia 2017 compared to 1938 cases in 2016. Results:Basedon the study findings, the high prevalence of childhood pneumonia in Makambako town council is is caused low knowledge and poor practices of mothers concerning childhood pneumonia,as 70.8% of mothers do not know what pneumonia isabout,72.6%of mothersdo not know health risk factors associated with childhood pneumonia, and77.3% do not know how pneumonia protect. Some mothers perform cultural and traditional Background:Pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection caused by several infectious agents, suchasviruses,bacteria,andfungi.Itaffectsthelungs.Thisstudyaimedtoassessmothers'knowledgeandpracticesregardingpneumonia inchildren under five years of age in Makambako town. The study focusedon , awareness, practices, andthe extent to whichmothers understand the disease and measures taken to protect childrentoprevent and reduce the disease prevalence.Methodology:A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was used, employing random and purposive sampling techniques to obtain 106 respondents in the study area who filled out the structured questionnaires. All questionnaires were checked for completeness and then entered into SPSS for analysis. The prevalence is high,as there were 2647 cases of pneumonia in 2017 compared to 1938 cases in 2016. Results:Basedon the study findings, the high prevalence of childhood pneumonia in Makambako town council is caused by low knowledge and poor practices of mothers concerning childhood pneumonia,as 70.8% of mothers do not know what pneumonia isabout,72.6%of mothersdo not know health risk factors associated with childhood pneumonia, and77.3% do not know how pneumonia is transmitted. Some mothers performcultural and traditional beliefs, while others perform self-medication and take a child to the hospital when the conditions worsen. Most do not know if proper nutrition and immunization, as signified by 99% and 81%, respectively, are the most effective ways to protecta child against pneumonia beliefs, while others perform self-medication and take a child to the hospital when the conditions worsen. Most do not know if proper nutrition and immunization, as signified by 99% and 81%, respectively, are the most effective ways to protecta child against pneumonia Conclusion and recommendations:The study concludes that mothers' knowledge and practices associated with improper nutrition and immunization contribute much to children's pneumonia. Therefore, the study suggests proper nutrition and immunization education should be done appropriately to protect children frompneumonia

Correlation between hemoglobin levels of mothers and children aged less than two years attending the immunization clinics in Puducherry: a cross-sectional analytical study

Background: Insufficient attention has been paid to the impact of maternal anemia on the hemoglobin status of children. This study aimed to estimate the correlation between the hemoglobin levels of mother’s antenatal and their current hemoglobin levels with the hemoglobin levels of their children and to find the co-occurrence of anemia among the family members of the children. Methods: A total of 200 children aged nine months to two years with their mothers were enrolled in the immunization clinics in a tertiary care hospital, and from health centres attached to it. For assessing the triple burden of anemia within the family members of the children, 50 mother-child-sibling triads were approached. The hemoglobin values of the mothers during their third trimester in the antenatal period was noted from the antenatal records. Results: 62% of the children aged less than two years were anemic and the mean hemoglobin level of the children was 10.33±1.33 gm/dl. The correlation between hemoglobin levels of children and mothers during their antenatal period was 0.15 (p: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.007 to 0.279) and 0.10 (p: 0.15, 95% CI: -0.038 to 0.236) was the correlation between current hemoglobin levels of children and mothers. 7 (14%) mother-child-sibling triads had co-occurrence of anemia in the sub-sample of 50. Conclusions: The multiple linear regression analysis confirmed that there is a weak correlation between the hemoglobin levels of mothers and children. We concluded that treating an anemic individual in a family can somehow prevent anemia in other family members.

Influence of socio-demographic and environmental factors on child mortality in India

Background: According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) report (round 5), under five child mortality rate is 42 per 1000 live births which is far behind the sustainable development goal and National Health Policy, 2017. This research work aims to investigate the socio-demographic and environmental risk factors associated with child mortality between age 0-59 months in India. Methods: To analyse the objective of this study secondary data of NFHS round 5 are used. NFHS is a large scale, multi-rounds survey conducted by ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) with the collaboration of International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai. Cox regression model is used for the statistical analysis and the data analysis work is carried out using R software. Results: The research found that mortality rate is higher among mother’s age less than 20 years and mother’s having no education. In rural areas mortality rate is high compared to urban residence. Birth order of child more than 6 has 2.0966 times higher risk to die and the male child is more likely die than the female. Children born to family having richest wealth index (HR=0.6550, CI: 0.5856-0.7327) has the least mortality rate. Use of polluting cooking fuel and unimproved sanitation facility increase death risk on under-five mortality 1.1334 times and 1.0905 times respectively. Conclusions: The study found a strong influence of socio-demographic and environmental factors on child mortality under the age of five.

Childhood Pneumonia: What’s Unchanged, and What’s New?

Childhood pneumonia is still a significant clinical and public health problem. India contributes the highest number of deaths due to pneumonia, accounts for about 20% of global mortality among under five children. Various etiologic agents including bacteria, viruses and atypical organism are responsible for childhood pneumonia. Recent studies suggest that viruses are one of the major causes of childhood pneumonia. Among viruses, respiratory syncytial virus has got great attention and several recent studies are reporting it as an important organism for pneumonia. Lack of exclusive breast feeding during first six months, improper timing of start and content of complimentary feeding, anemia, undernutrition, indoor pollution due to tobacco smoking and use of coal and wood for cooking food and lack of vaccinations are important risk factors. X-ray chest is not routinely performed to diagnose pneumonia while use of lung ultrasound is increasing to detect consolidation, pleural effusion, pneumothorax and pulmonary edema (interstitial syndrome). Role of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin is similar, to differentiate between viral and bacterial pneumonia, however duration of antibiotics is better guided by procalcitonin. Newer biomarkers like IL-6, presepsin and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 are needed to be evaluated for their use in children. Hypoxia is significantly associated with childhood pneumonia. Therefore, use of pulse oximetry should be encouraged for early detection and prompt treatment of hypoxia to prevent adverse outcomes. Among the available tools for risk of mortality assessment in children due to pneumonia, PREPARE score is the best but external validation will be needed.

Assessment of the need and effectiveness for nutritional counselling through Swasthya Poushan webportal for mothers of under five in Mysuru

Background: Child growth and development is multifactorial influenced by the environment, living conditions, socio-demography and various other demographic factors. Infant feeding practices breastfeeding practices are important components to be addressed. Therefore, online counselling provides a good service for mothers to access useful information. Objectives of the study were: to assess the need and effectiveness of an online nutritional web portal for under five mothers, and to find the barriers in the usage of the website. Methods: It was a quasi-experimental study, for a duration of one month. It was conducted in JSS urban primary health centre, under the department of community medicine in Medhar bloc. Necessary consents from the participants were taken. An online self-structured questionnaire was assessed pre and post the intervention. Study duration was for one month. Results: The major findings from the study shows that only the educated class of mothers, i.e. 6 of the 30 mothers went through one round of online nutritional counselling. They did find counselling useful for further practices and there was an increase in their knowledge. Among those who didn’t access the website, they cited housework, not aware and discomfort with the website as their reasons not to use. Conclusions: There is surely a need for online nutritional counselling for mothers with under five, as it will provide them quick access to valuable information regarding feeding. There are many barriers, one is awareness and education on website usage and linking it to the individual needs.

A cross sectional study to assess the nutritional status of under five children in block Hajin of Kashmir valley

Background: Nutrition can be defined as the science that studies food and how food nourishes our body and influences our health. Proper nutrition can help us improve our health, prevent certain diseases, achieve and maintain a desirable weight and maintain our energy and vitality. Malnutrition is a broad term commonly used as an alternative to under nutrition (wasting, stunting and underweight) but technically it also refers to over nutrition (overweight and obesity). Nutrition is particularly important in early childhood when growth is most rapid. Assessment of nutritional status of under-5 children in block Hajin and to identify the factors associated with malnutrition in these under-fives. Methods: This is a community based cross sectional study, conducted in health block Hajin on a random sample of 403 under five children using multistage sampling technique based on probability proportionate to size (PPS). Results: depicts that most of the children belonged to age group 25-60 months (45.9%), there was female preponderance (54.1%) among the study subjects. Most of the study subjects were having birth order first (40.9%). Majority of the study population were having birth interval between 2 to 3 years (40.8%). Conclusions: From the study it is concluded that prevalence of different forms of malnutrition was comparatively lower as compared to national data. Malnutrition was more in infants, female gender, under-fives belonging to nuclear families, having illiterate mothers and those belonging to lower socioeconomic status.

Risk factors for stunting of under-five children in Myanmar

Background: This study aimed to identify risk factors and assess their significance concerning childhood stunting in Myanmar. Methods: This study was conducted through the analysis of a secondary dataset based on the 2015-2016 Myanmar Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS 2015-2016), a program funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Among the 5239 under-five children who participated in the Myanmar DHS 2015-2016 survey, 4172 children with complete anthropometric measurements were included in this study. This was a cross-sectional study, and Chi-squared analysis was applied to determine the association of each risk factor with stunting. In addition, logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis of all risk factors combined. Results: Out of 4172 children who participated in the study, 1146 (27.5%) were stunted. Type of place of residence, household wealth index, and maternal education level have a significant effect on stunting of under-five children with (?2=52.79, df=1, p=0.000), (?2=82.03, df=2, p=0.000) and (?2=72.31, df=3, p=0.000) respectively. When applied to multivariate logistic regression analysis, all three factors remained significant predictors of stunting in under-five children. Conclusions: Individual- and community-level factors determining the stunting of under-five children in Myanmar were explored. Government support programs for the occupation and income of the household heads and household members, as well as education programs targeting women in both the short term and long term, may help improve the condition.

Determinants Of Under-Nutrition Among Under Five Children in The Urban Slum of Ahmedabad, India

Introduction: In India, 6.8% of total population are under five children and 60 million are malnourished. Around 45% of deaths among children under five years are linked to under nutrition. The study aims to as-sess the nutritional status of under 5 children and associate it with various factors like age, gender, Immuniza-tion, birth weight, feeding practices, Anganwadi registration etc. Methodology: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted on 191 under five children in urban slum areas. Parents of under five children were interviewed with the help of a pre-designed questionnaire. Malnutrition was assessed using WHO recommended Z score category.Observations: Total 191 under 5 children were studied. Among them, 107 were male and 84 were female. Out of the assessed children two third were normal weight for age while one third were underweight. Nutri-tion status was significantly associated with age, birth weight, feeding practices and immunization status of children. Conclusions & Recommendations: One fourth of under-five children were under weight for age. Age, low birth weight, preterm delivery, faulty feeding practices and incomplete immunization were statistically signif-icantly associated with the underweight.

Assessing Measles Vaccination Coverage in Children Under Five Years of Age in Developing Country

This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in the River Nile State, Sudan; known with increasing morbidity of Measles. The objective is assess Measles vaccination and possibly other factors leading to abnormal high level of cases. A community-based cross-sectional, descriptive study using a questionnaire was designed to collect data, a sample of 183 was collected, vaccination cards were viewed to obtain information about vaccination status directors of Epidemiology and Immunization departments in the state was interviewed to collect data regarding Measles vaccination coverage and cases reports. The study clarified that, according to the state reports Measles vaccination coverage in children under five years old was 92% of the targeted population. While only 73.8% of the study group was vaccinated by the routine immunization system, the availability of measles vaccination service at the centers was 98.4%.78.7% of vaccination services were provided by static centers. Barriers discovered were suboptimal access to measles immunization represented in distant health center 19.7% (more than 5 km), on foot access to center 44.3%, rejection of vaccination from mothers7%).study recommended increasing the number of static and sub-centers, activating the health education programs to raise awareness, using simple attractive message to educate the public about the disease, and the importance of vaccination and encouraging mothers to vaccinate their children.

Prevalence of under nutrition among under-5 children in the urban field practice area of a medical college in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh

Background: In India, undernutrition in children mal the age of five is a serious public health issue. Despite India's expanding economy, both urban and rural areas still have significant rates of undernutrition-related child mortality. There are hardly many studies that concentrate on cities. In order to determine the prevalence of undernutrition in the urban field practice area of a medical college in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, the current study was conducted. Objective of the study was using World Health Organization (WHO) growth standards, to determine the prevalence of undernutrition among children under the age of five. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the urban field practice region of the medical college Muzaffarnagar, India, from August 2022 to November 2022. From 1875 registered families, 400 under-five-year-old children were randomly chosen, and a house-to-house survey was used to collect the study's data. The study's goals were explained to the parents, and their written agreement was obtained. The children who were accessible during the study period had their anthropometric measurements taken in accordance with WHO criteria. For nutritional deficits and other morbidities, the kids were checked. Data analysis was performed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) 23 programme and the Chi square test. Results: A total of 400 under 5 were examined by going from house to house, and 257 (64.2%) of them were underweight. Boys had significantly (p=0.001) more undernutrition than girls. In the age range of 49 to 60 months, it peaked. Conclusions: Children's malnutrition continues to be a problem for public health, especially among underprivileged populations.

Factors Affecting Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) in India- National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5 Factsheet What It Speaks?

Introduction: In developing countries various factors lead to Under-5 Mortality and irreversible losses which can be prevented by proper measures take on factors affecting to it. Objective: This study was conducted to analyse the changing trends of Under-5 Mortality in India. The new National Family Health Survey (5th round) which was published recently came up with several new findings, which were both encouraging and disheartening and also one of the major Sustainable Development Goals.Method: A secondary data analysis was conducted of NFHS factsheets to study the U5MR in India. The indica-tors which had a correlation either positive or negative with the Under-five mortality rate were included.Result- When we look at the result, few states' performance is encouraging because they have shown some of the best declines. Correlation was found between dependant variable that is U5MR which is a dependent vari-able and several independent variables which concluded that factors like Women literacy, Men literacy, Breastfeeding, Nutritional insufficiencies, Caesarean delivery, ANC visits and IFA consumptions are negatively associated withU5MR. Conclusion: Various steps have been taken in order to improve our healthcare sector since independence, every government had their fair share of contribution, that’s the reason why we are this stage. Now it’s time to increase efforts with targeted interventions to solve this problem and complete our commitment towards the SDGs.

Relationship of Physical Environmental Conditions of Houses with the Incidence of Pneumonia among Children under Five

@#Introduction: In 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia is the leading infectious cause of death in children under the age of five. In 2017, pneumonia killed 808,694 children under five, accounting for 15% of all fatalities among children under the age of five. Methods: An observational analytic survey with a case control design was used as the study approach. The research samples were collected using a simple random sampling procedure with 48 children under the age of five separated into two groups, 24 samples for the case group and 24 samples for the control group. The research was carried out between February and July of 2020. This study tools used were observation sheets and rollmeters.The data was analyzed using univariate and bivariate analysis using the Chi-Square test at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The results showed that there was a relationship between incidence of pneumonia in children under five with different variables, respectively, ventilation area, floor type, wall type, presence of smoke hole. Conclusion: It implies that the community should pay attention to the overall condition of the house, one of which is by improving home ventilation, adjusting the room area to the number of occupants, quitting smoking in the house, and cleaning the floor more often.

Malaria prevalence and associated additional risk factors among children under-five years who sleep under insecticide treated nets in Zambia

Background:Insecticide Treated Nets are one of the backbones of malaria prevention in Africa where the vector mosquitos bite at night and prefer humans for feeding. Children who sleep under Insecticide Treated Nets though protected still get malaria infections. This study aimed to assess the risk factors of malaria infection among under-five childrenwhosleepunderinsecticide-treatedTreated Nets. Methodology:This was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional survey the Malaria Indicator survey of 2021 in Zambia. Data was extracted from the database at the Ministry of Health and analysed in STATAversion 14. Data was analysed in counts and frequencies,cross-tabulations andassociationsassessed using logistic regressing using complex data analysis.Results:Atotal of 1695 children aged below five years who had slept under an Insecticide Treated Net the night before the survey were included in the study, 50.9% were female while 49.1 were male. Over a third of them (23.9%) had a fever in the previous two weeks, over half 51.9% of them had anaemia and 28.8% of them had malaria infection tested using Rapid Diagnostic tests. There was a 3.46 (95%CI 2.67 ­ 4.49) increase in the odds of having malaria ifthe under-five child was anaemic (haemoglobin less than 11mg/dl). Other factors that are usually associated with malaria infection such as younger age group, low socio-economic status, residing in rural areas and having had a fever in the previous two weeks. Conclusion:In Zambia, about a third of under-five children who slept under insecticide-treated nets still had evidence of malaria infection. Asignificant risk factor for malaria infection among the under-five children who slept under ITNs was anaemia. Other known risk factors for malaria among under-five children such as age, rural residence, wealth status, province of residence and education of guardians were not statistically significant.

Factors associated with anaemia in under-five children in Zambia: Secondary analysis of the 2021 Malaria Indicator Survey Data

Introduction:Anaemia is one of the major public health concerns in many developing countries including Zambia. Unless it is acute, the consequences of anaemia are not immediate but have long-term debilitating effects such as growth and intellectual retardation and as such it does not receive the necessary attention it deserves. This study set out to assess the prevalence and associated factors of anaemia in under-five children in Zambia. Methods:This study was a secondary analysis of the 2021 Malaria Indicator Survey. We extracted data from the data sets at the National Malaria Elimination Centre after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Health. The extracted data was analysed in STATA14, summarised in frequencies, cross-tabulations between independent variables and the outcome and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the associations between variables and anaemia. Findings:The prevalence of anaemia was found to be 53.8%. Anaemia was found to be associated more with children below one year compared to older children, children whose household heads had no or only have primary education compared to those with secondary or tertiary education and in the northern parts of the country such as Luapula and Northern provinces compared to the southern province. Further anaemia was more common in those with malaria than those without malaria and those with febrile illnesses than those without febrile illnesses. In addition, anaemia was less common in those who slept under insecticide-treated nets. Conclusion: Anaemia in Zambia has been found to be higher than the average in Southern Africa, it is associated with younger age groups, poverty conditions and where diseases like malaria and other febrile illnesses are more common than where they are not. The use of interventions like insecticide-treated nets is associated with reduced prevalence of anaemia.