Factors Associated with under nutrition among 6-59 Months Old Children in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand

摘要

"Context: Under nutrition has long been a major public health concern in developing country like India as a leading cause of child morbidity and mortality. The study was aimed to assess the malnutrition and fac-tors associated with it. The study was conducted to assess under nu-trition in under five children and various associated factors affecting it. Methodology A community based cross sectional study was conduct-ed among 400 under five children of rural and urban Rishikesh. Multi-stage sampling method was used to select the areas and systematic ran-dom sampling was used to select households. A predesigned, pre tested & semi structured question-naire was used to collect infor-mation on various associated fac-tors and status of under nutrition in study participants. Data was en-tered into excel sheets and analyzed using SPSS utilizing appropriate statistical test. Results: The prevalence of under-weight was 37.3%, stunting was 43.3% and wasting was 24.5% re-spectively. Socio-demographic fac-tors, child birth weight and birth order, hand washing practice by mother and common morbidity emerged as significant predictors of under nutrition. Conclusion: The burden of common morbidities and prevalence of mal-nutrition among under-five children in this community is very high. Our policies should aim to improve child health nutrition and growth.".