Publication:

A cross sectional study to assess the nutritional status of under five children in block Hajin of Kashmir valley

Background Nutrition can be defined as the science that studies food and how food nourishes our body and influences our health. Proper nutrition can help us improve our health, prevent certain diseases, achieve and maintain a desirable weight and maintain our energy and vitality. Malnutrition is a broad term commonly used as an alternative to under nutrition (wasting, stunting and underweight) but technically it also refers to over nutrition (overweight and obesity). Nutrition is particularly important in early childhood when growth is most rapid. Assessment of nutritional status of under-5 children in block Hajin and to identify the factors associated with malnutrition in these under-fives.

Methods This is a community based cross sectional study, conducted in health block Hajin on a random sample of 403 under five children using multistage sampling technique based on probability proportionate to size (PPS).

Results depicts that most of the children belonged to age group 25-60 months (45.9%), there was female preponderance (54.1%) among the study subjects. Most of the study subjects were having birth order first (40.9%). Majority of the study population were having birth interval between 2 to 3 years (40.8%).

Conclusions From the study it is concluded that prevalence of different forms of malnutrition was comparatively lower as compared to national data. Malnutrition was more in infants, female gender, under-fives belonging to nuclear families, having illiterate mothers and those belonging to lower socioeconomic status.