Background
India has around 157.86 million children below the age of 6 years, constituting 15.42% of India’s population. ICDS scheme in India today represents one of the world’s largest programmes for early childhood development responding to the challenge of providing preschool education on one hand and breaking the vicious cycle of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality, on the other. One of the main objectives is to improve nutritional & health status of children 0-6 years.
In response to the scheme, Tamil Nadu has experienced a steady reduction in the percentage of underweight children and severely malnourished children over the last two decades. Still 46% of children are malnourished in Tamil Nadu out of which 0.5% severely, 10.5% moderately and 35% mildly malnourished.
Objectives
- To measure the burden of malnutrition among the children attending Anganwadi Centers in the service area of Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences, Kulasekharam.
- To identify the factors associated with malnutrition
- To assess the health status of the above children.
Methods
This descriptive study was conducted among 53 children from 3 Anganwadi centers in the service area of Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences, Kulasekharam. Pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect information from children and mothers. Clinical examinations including the anthropometric measurements were done.
Results
35.9% of the children under study suffer from malnutrition. 5.7% among them has moderate malnutrition and other 30.2% has mild malnutrition. The educational status of the father was found to have significant association with malnutrition (p-value: 0.019). Half of the children had some illnesses in the past one year. URI, fever and diarrhea are the common illnesses with mean episodes of 4.63, 4.64 and 2.11 respectively. 30% of the children have the history of passing worm. Half of the children (54.7%) have poor personal hygiene. One fifth of the children (20.8%) have some clinical signs on examination.
Conclusion – 35.9% of the children under study suffer from malnutrition. 30% of the children have worm infestation. One fifth of the children have some clinical signs of poor health status. Making the scheme more children friendly will improve the nutritional and health status.