Determinants and consequences of Malnourished underfive urban Children: a cross sectional study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Malnutrition is now the most prevalent nutritional condition in poor nations, and it is a major contributor to under-five mortality and morbidity globally. More than one third of the world's malnourished youngsters are found in India alone. Among them, more than half of young children under the age of 3 are seemed to be underweight.1 The objective of this study was to assess the determinants of malnutrition among underfive children. Study design: A cross sectional study with key informant interview to identify the determinant factors of malnutrition.460 children with their mothers participated in the study. Anthropometric measurements were taken and causative factors were assessed with pre tested and validated questionnaires. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to identify the determinants of Malnutrition among underfive children using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Muslim children (OR=0.40 (95% CI, p=0.0010), Extended family (OR= 5.42 (95% CI, p=0.0001) Breastfeeding started very late (OR= 4.99 (95% CI, p=0.0001), Bottle feeding (OR=0.28 (95% CI, p=0.0030), Daily feeding frequency < 5 times (OR=3.38 (95% CI, p=0.0001),Exclusive breastfeeding not given for 6 months(OR= 2.69 odds (95% CI, p=0.0001) and Bottle washed only with water (OR= 0.74 odds (95% CI, p=0.0500) were more likely to suffer from malnutrition.