Undernutrition: the role of the mothers and others in childcare.

Bhatia, Manohar; Gupta, Ginisha; Tiwari, Ranjana

Background:

India has the largest burden of child mortality and undernutrition in the world. More than one-third of the world’s 150 million undernourished children younger than 5 year old live in India. The objective of this study was to assess the role of the mother in child care and its implications on nutrition of the child.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Gwalior district among 300 mothers who were selected across the district on the basis of nutritional status of their child.

Results:

Only 09% mothers were able to spend >3 hours every day for exclusive care of their under-five child. 37.00% mothers admitted that the elder sibling in the family feeds the child. 55.50% mothers stated that they have to work outside to help in earning livelihood.

Conclusions:

Mother plays the most important role in child up-bringing. Empowering mothers and spreading correct and practical knowledge and awareness about child care practices can help in solving the problem of undernutrition.

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