Asian Journal of Home Science

Garima Babel ¹, Khushboo Sharda ²

Affiliations
1 Bhopal Mobles University, Udaipur (Rajasthan), IN
2 College of Social Science and Humanities, Udaipur (Rajasthan), IN

Abstract

A cross sectional study on 250 pre-school children (2-5years) along with their mothers was undertaken among Girwah tehsil of Udaipur city. The study aimed to assess the prevailing infant feeding practices and immunization status. Information related to infant feeding was gathered by interviewing mothers of pre-schoolers with the help of structured questionnaire. Results revealed that large amount of subjects (40.8%) received prelacteal feed. Janam gutti was most common used prelacteal feed. Breast feed was received by 100 per cent subjects and most of the mothers (54.4%) feed their children on demand. 49.2 per cent mothers initiated breast feed within 1 hour after the birth of their child, remaining 29.6 and 21.2 per cent feed after 2-5 hours and more than 5 hours. Colostrum was not known by 5.6 per cent mothers and they dint even feed it to their newborns. Exclusive breast feed was given by 70 per cent mothers. Duration of exclusive breast feed was 3-6 months among most of the mothers (43.6%). 4.8 per cent mothers exclusively breast feed their children more than 8 months. Most of the mothers (94.8 %) breast feed during their illness. The most common age of weaning was found 4-6 months, among them 69.2 per cent preferred homemade weaning food. Most common age of giving semi solid/solid food was 6-8 months (40%) and 8-10 months (22%), while 5.2 per cent mothers didn’t start weaning their infants even after the age of more than 12 months. Immunization status of 84 per cent children was found satisfactory, while 4.4 per cent children were partially immunized and 1.6 per cent didn’t even have immunization card.

Keywords

Infant Feeding, Practices, Preschool Children, Immunization, Malnutrition.

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Khushboo Sharda ¹, Garima Babel ²

Affiliations
1 College of Social Science and Humanities, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur (Rajasthan), IN
2 Bhopal Mobles University, Udaipur (Rajasthan), IN

Abstract

250 pre-school children from Girwah tehsil of Udaipur city were studied with the objective of assessing their nutritional status. For the purpose the information about anthropometric parameters such as height, weight, MUAC, head and chest circumference was collected. Nutritional status of subjects was assessed using different methods of anthropometry. The results were varied with the each method applied. Head and chest circumference relationship depicted 0.8 per cent and 20 per cent subjects were borderline undernourished and under nourished, MUAC classification depicted mild malnutrition among 29.6 per cent subjects and moderate and severe malnutrition among 14 and 4.4 per cent subjects, whereas SD classification indicated that the percentage of moderate underweight, stunning and wasting was 2.4 per cent, 4.8 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively. Girls were found to be more underweight, stunned and wasted in comparison to boys. Despite of normal nutritional status in most of the subjects the values of height and weight were found to be less in comparison to reference values given by WHO, especially in girls.

Keywords

Pre-School Children, Anthropometry, Nutritional Status, WHO Growth Standards.

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