Nutritional assessment of preschool children of a rural community
Ghai, O.P.; Chaudhuri, S.N.; Kapoor, S.; Jaiswal, V.N.; Sinclair, S.
Indian Journal of Medical Research 58(11): 1621-1628
1970
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5340 PMID: 5505351 Document Number: 24904
The survey was of 3029 preschool children from 20 villages in Haryana State, India. Dietary intake studies and haematological examinations were made on a sample of the children. Of the children 1.3% were still breast fed at 29 months of age. Mean protein intake appeared to be adequate but the actual intake varied widely between families. The mean daily energy intake was 969 kcal for girls and 1013 for boys aged 1 to 5 years which appeared inadequate. There was nutritional oedema in 0.9% of the children and frank marasmus in 1.7%. Malnutrition, judged by bodyweight for age, was most prevalent at 12 to 17 months of age and 78.5% of the children were anaemic. It was concluded that energy deficiency was more common than protein deficiency in the diet of poor rural children and it was that factor which needed to be controlled and prevented.