Prevalence of underweight, stunting and wasting
Saxena, N.; Nayar, D.; Kapil, U.
Indian Pediatrics 34(7): 627-631
1997
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-6061 PMID: 9401256 Document Number: 272021
299 boys and 331 girls (<6 years old) were recruited who were living in 2 urban slums of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India. Socioeconomic status of the children's families was assessed and anthropometric measurements of the children were taken using standard techniques. Data regarding dietary intake of a subsample of 225 children was collected by trained nutritionists utilizing the 24-h recall method. Raw equivalents of cooked food consumed by the child were estimated and the nutrient intake calculated using a database derived from Indian food composition tables. Almost 54% of families belonged to the lower-upper income group as per the modified Kuppuswamy scale and the mean per capita income of the families was Rs. 488+or-363 per month. According to the weight-for-age criteria, 57.6% of the children were suffering from undernutrition (z-scores<-2) with 20.3% of children with z-scores<-3. Height-for-age and weight-for-age data showed that 53.0% of children were stunted and 22.5% were wasted. The highest prevalences of stunting, underweight and wasting occurred in the age groups 48-59, 24-35 and 12-23 months, respectively. The underweight, wasted and stunted children had significantly lower energy and protein intake compared with normal children. It was concluded that a high prevalence of undernutrition and a poor dietary intake was indicated in children under 6 years old.