An epidemiological study of acute malnutrition in children of age 6 months to 5 years in an Urban Slum of Mumbai, Maharashtra

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition continues to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among under-five children in developing countries. There are numerous factors that directly or indirectly affect the nutritional status of the children. Aim: This study aims to study the prevalence and associated risk factors of acute malnutrition in children 6 months to 5 years of age in an urban slum. Subjects and Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in an urban slum in Mumbai. A total of 270 children of age 6 months to 5 years were enrolled in the study. Samples were selected by simple random sampling from various sectors. All mothers/informant were interviewed, and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and Chi-square test was used to find out the association between two qualitative variables. Results: The prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting were 52.2%, 42.2%, and 50.4%, respectively. The factors associated with acute malnutrition were age of the child, mother's educational status, occupation of mother, type of family, socioeconomic status, age at marriage below 18 years, children who were given prelacteal feeds, were not exclusively breastfed and were partially immunized. Conclusions: The findings of the present study revealed that higher prevalence of acute malnutrition was found in the children of urban slum in Mumbai. Socioeconomic development along with counseling on breast-feeding practices and nutrition education among the urban slum masses needs to be ensured which is an important factor to combat malnutrition.