Background: Malnutrition among under-five children is an important public health problem in developing countries, and a major cause of morbidity and mortality in India, hence the present study was conducted to find out the nutritional status of under-five children and to elicit the factors associated with it.Methods: This community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 142 under-five children during May to June 2017 in the areas under the jurisdiction of Nasibpur Primary Health Centre, Singur, West Bengal, India. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, feeding habits and other biological factors were obtained from structured questionnaire, followed by anthropometric measurement. Assessment of nutritional status of the children was done with the help of Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed to analyse the data by using SPSS version 16.0.Results: The mean (standard deviation) age of the sample was 28.4 (±15.2) months. About 36.1% children were found to have anthropometric failure using CIAF (wasting only 2.1%, wasting and underweight 14.5%, wasting, stunting and underweight 5.5%, stunting and underweight 6.3%, stunting only 4.9%, underweight only 2.8%). Education of mother [AOR = 3.6 (1.2–10.8)], birth order [AOR = 3.7 (1.4-9.9)], and exclusive breast feeding practice [AOR = 7.3 (2.9–18.1)] remained the significant correlates when adjusted with other variables in the multivariable analysis.Conclusions: The high prevalence of malnutrition in the community requires multipronged approach regarding nutritional education, intensive information education and communication (IEC) activities for exclusive breast feeding through antenatal clinics and adoption of family planning methods.
Circulating Rotavirus Types and Drug-Resistant Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Causing Enteric Infection in Under-Five Children in Rural West Bengal, India
