BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:

WHO & UNICEF, (2003)⁽¹³⁾ reports that malnutrition has been directly or indirectly responsible for 60% of the 19.9 million deaths annually among under fives of the world. As per the reports of UNICEF (2004)⁽^13&14), on “the state of worlds children on prevalence of malnutrition among under fives” shows 47% of world under five malnutrition are in India. Further reports of NNBB survey (2001)⁽¹²⁾ reveal highest percentage of mild malnutrition in Tamil Nadu (50.6%). In India Children with mild to moderate malnutrition are best managed in their own homes and kept under surveillance, so as to find out improvement in their nutritional status. There is evidence that domiciliary treatment brings about gratifying results. (Gupte1998, Marlow R.⁽^7).

The UN estimates that 2.1 million Indian children die before reaching the age of 5 every year – four every minute -mostly from preventable illnesses such as diarrhea, typhoid, malaria, measles and pneumonia. According to the 1991 census of India, it has around 150 million children, constituting 17.5% of India's population, who are below the age of 6 years. In developing countries, under-five mortality is largely a result of infectious diseases and neonatal deaths.

Under nutrition is an important factor contributing to the death of young children. If a child is malnourished, the mortality risk associated with respiratory infections, diarrhoea, malaria, measles, and other infectious diseases is increased.

Formulas developed by Pelletier et al.1 are used to quantify the contributions of malnutrition to under-five mortality. More than half (54 percent) of all deaths before age five years in India are related to malnutrition. Because of its extensive prevalence in India, mild to moderate malnutrition contributes to more deaths (43 percent) than severe malnutrition 11 percent ( UNICEF,2003)⁽¹⁴⁾.

It is reported that malnutrition affects every fourth child worldwide. In India 47 % of children are underweight, 16% are wasted and 46 % are stunted, which reveals very poor nutritional status. On average, a child who is severelyunderweight3 is 8.4 times more likely to die from infectious diseases than a well-nourished child. Children who are moderately underweight and mildly underweight are 4.6 and 2.5 times respectively more likely to die than well-nourished children. According to National Nutrition monitoring bureau (NNMB) ⁽¹²⁾ of India, over 50% by apparently healthy looking children have sub clinical and biochemical deficiencies which can leads to malnutrition and prone to develop infection. (FAO)⁽⁸⁾. Ministry of women and child development 2001, reported that 37% of Tamil Nadu under five children were malnourished and mild cases of malnutrition raised to 42% similarly survey conducted by NNMB,2001 reveals that 10.5 % of children under five found normal and remaining 50.6% were mildly malnourished, 35 to 36 % moderate and 37 % severely malnourished in Tamil Nadu.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

1. To identify the malnutrition status among under five children.

2. To compare the nutritional status of under five children with demographic variables.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Descriptive design was selected for the study, where cross-sectional survey approach was used to collect the data from under five children in Karippatti village.

Three hundred under five children were selected by using convenient sampling technique to select the sample. Semi structured interview schedule and observation check list was used to collect the data.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Distribution of under five children according to their demographic variables

Percentage wise distribution of the under five children according to their age group, Out of 300 children Highest percentage (34.3%) of under five children were in the age group of 0-12 months and (26.6%) of the under five children were in the age group of 1 year 1 month – 2 year and (18.3%) of the under five children were in the age group of 3 year 1 month – 4 year and (17.6%) of the underfive children were in the age group of 2 year 1 month – 3 year, only (3%) were in the age group of 4 year 1 month – 5 year.(fig 1)

Fig 2. Percentage wise distribution of under five children according to their sex

Fig 5. Percentage wise distribution of under five children according to type of family

Percentage wise distribution of the underfive children according to their sex, Out of 300 children, Highest percentages (51.6%) were male children’s and (48.3 %) were female children’s. It shows that male children’s are high when comparing to female children (fig 2).

Percentage wise distribution of the underfive children according to their birth order, Out of 300 children, it reveals that highest percentage (44.6%) were second birth order children and (42.3%) were third birth order children and (10.3%) were first birth order children and (2.6%) were fourth and above birth order children. It shows that, the second birth order children were more when compared to other birth order children’s (fig 3) .

Percentage wise distribution of the underfive children according to their spacing between children shows that, the highest percentage (50.6%) of underfive children were 2 years spacing between children and (25.6%) were 3 years spacing between children and underfive children who had 1 year spacing between children were about (15.3 %) and the children who were 4 years and above spacing is only 8.3 %. This shows that most of the under five children were more than 2 years spacing between children’s (fig 4) .

Percentage wise distribution of the underfive children according to their type of family shows that, the highest percentage 65.3% were from nuclear family and 30 % were from joint family and only 4.6 % were from extended family. It reveals that most of the children’s were living in nuclear family. (fig 5)

Percentage wise distribution of the underfive children according to their educational status, It reveals that the highest percentage of mothers 25 % were educated upto higher secondary education and 22 % of mothers were received high school education and similar percentage 22 % of the mothers who had no formal education and 19.6% were educated upto primary education and 11 % were graduated mothers. This shows that most of the mothers were educated and their educational status was good. (fig 6)

Percentage wise distribution of under five children according to their malnutrition status based on IAP standard:

Highest percentages 36% of the children’s were in Grade III Malnutrition. Around 29 % of the underfive children’s were belongs to Grade II Malnutrition and 21 % of the under five children’s are belongs to Grade I Malnutrition, only 14 % were well nourished children’s.(fig 7)

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION:

From the findings of the present study to identify the prevalence of malnutrition among underfive children’s. The weight and height when compared to IAP standards most of the children were malnourished. Majority of the children were in Grade III malnutrition.

Age, sex, educational status of the mother, order of birth, type of family, spacing between children were found significantly associated with nutritional status of the children.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

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Received on 19.09.2012 Modified on 28.10.2012

Asian J. Nur. Edu. & Research 3(1): Jan.-March 2013; Page 10-13