The Epidemiology of under-nutrition in Irular tribal pre-school children in Chengam, Tamilnadu, India.
Social Determinants of Health,
Vol. 8 (2022),
1 January 2022
,
Page 1-7
https://doi.org/10.22037/sdh.v8i1.37945
Abstract
Background: Under-nutrition among the children under the age of five renders them vulnerable to recurrent infections, growth retardation, low efficiency in future and even death. Under-nutrition as a global health problem is indeed of serious concern in tribal community which is a vulnerable sector. Various studies have highlighted the burden of under-nutrition nation-wide among different tribal groups in India. This study is aimed to explore the malnutrition among Irular tribal children in Tamilnadu, India.
Methods: A Community based cross-sectional survey was designed among the 450 tribal mothers and children in Chengam, Tamilnadu, India during January to December 2021. Mothers were interviewed with semi-structured Tamil questionnaire with socio-demographic details, nutrition, health-seeking behavior, Clinical and anthropometric examination of children. Under-nutrition was defined - weight for age (Z-Score) < 2 SD. Median for age and sex-WHO standards. Data was entered in SPSS. Chi Square and Logistic regression were used for analysis. A p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Prevalence of Under-weight was 44%, stunting-28.4%, wasting-37.8% and Severe Acute Malnutrition-8.7%. Majority were females. Overall, the nutritional status was poor. Advancing age, sex, maternal illiteracy, lack of awareness on nutrition, food insecurity and under-utilization of health services were the major underlying determinants.
Conclusion: The burden of under-nutrition is indeed a serious concern in the preschool children in Irular tribes in Tamilnadu, India wherein the socio-cultural, nutritional determinants and health seeking behavior have to addressed at the level of Primary Health care to combat malnutrition and prevent morbidities as well as mortality.
- Child, Preschool
- Malnutrition
- Epidemiology
- Indigenous Peoples
- Social Determinants of Health
How to Cite
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