Assessment of Undernutrition in Preschool Children of Urban and Rural Field Practice Area

Introduction: Prevalence of child malnutrition in India has remained stubbornly high. This study was conducted to assess malnutrition in preschool children. Methodology: Data collected from mothers of under five children of six angadwadis (total 12) each from urban and rural area in predesigned performa which included registration of child, Screening of the child for undernutrition by weight, height, mid-arm circumference measurement, sensitization of mothers regarding importance of growth chart & nutritional counselling. Results: Out of total 252 beneficiaries (83 from urban and 169 from rural area), underweight was more in rural area (40.3%) than urban area (25.3%) with more in children of >2 years of age. Underweight was higher in male in urban area and in female in rural area. Stunted and wasted children were more in rural area. Early initiation of breast feeding detected better in rural area. In 7(46.67%) and 15(68.18%) infants been exclusively breast feed in urban and rural area respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition was high among under five children of both urban & rural area. Multi pronged approach like maternal and child health care, nutrition education, growth monitoring etc. will be beneficial to combat the problem of malnutrition.