Magnitude of malnutrition among underfive children in urban slums of commercial capital of India and its multifactorial causation: A community-based study

Context: Malnutrition in children is common globally and may result in both short- and long-term irreversible negative health outcomes. It is not a simple disease with single causative factor but it is a disease with multifactorial causation. Aims: 1) To estimate prevalence of malnutrition in underfive children using “Z” score. 2) To evaluate the role of epidemiological and maternal factors on the nutritional status of children. Settings and Design: Community-based cross-sectional study. Methods and Materials: Randomly 10 slums were selected and under five-year-old children and their mothers from urban slums were examined and interviewed. Statistical Analysis: Data was analyzed with SPSS ver 20 and appropriate tests were applied. Results: Four-hundred children were examined. According to Z score classification, 39.8%, 36.5%, and 24.8% of children are underweight, stunted, and wasted, respectively. Family size (P = 0.02, χ2 = 7.7), initiation of breastfeeding (P = 0.009, χ2 = 6.8), maternal education (P = 0.001, χ2 = 13.9), underweight mothers (P = 0.05, χ2 = 4.8), and maternal dietary intake (P = 0.03, χ2 = 6.5) are significantly associated with underweight children. Similarly, stunted children show strong association with increasing age of child (P = 0.001, χ2 = 18.1), birth weight (P = 0.006, χ2 = 7.6), and not seeking medical opinion (P = 0.03, χ2 = 7.0). Primary immunization (P = 0.05, χ2 = 3.5), maternal education (P = 0.002, χ2 = 12.4), employed mothers (P = 0.02, χ2 = 4.9), and underweight mothers (P = 0.05, χ2 = 5.3) are associated with wasting in children. Conclusions: This study reveals very high prevalence of malnutrition status among underfive children of urban slums of commercial capital of India. Various maternal and epidemiological factors affect child nutritional status.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-SA

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