Honey Kumari ¹, Kalaivani K. ¹, Prema Ramachandran ²

Affiliations
1 Division of Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition Foundation of India, New Delhi, Delhi-110 016, IN
2 Division of Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition Foundation of India, New Delhi, Delhi-110 016), IN

Abstract

During 1970s poverty and household food inadequacy led to high under-nutrition rates in all age groups. Over years there has been an improvement in per capita income and household food security. In the last two decades there has been a steady decline in under-nutrition and increase in over-nutrition in adults, but child under-nutrition rates continue to be high. The present study was taken up in urban low income families, to assess the differences in the nutritional status of pre-school children and their parents. Height and weight measurements were taken in 3727 mother infant pairs; in 637 families father’s anthropometric parameters were available. Stunting, underweight and wasting rates in children were highest when the mothers were under-nourished (BMI <18.5) and least when the mother was over-nourished (BMI ?25). A similar but less distinct trend was observed in relation to nutritional status of the fathers and pre-school children. Even when the mother or father was under-nourished less than one fifth of the pre-school children were wasted and over 80% were normally nourished. Stunting rates were over 40% if the mother or father was in the lowest height tertile. However even when the father and mother were in the highest tertile for height, about one fourth of the children were stunted. These data suggest that maternal and paternal under-nutrition and low height are associated with higher child under-nutrition and stunting respectively. However, even when the mother or father was short or under-nourished, majority of the children were normal in height and normally nourished. In view of the intra-family differences in nutritional status, it is essential to undertake assessment of nutritional status of each member of the family and provide appropriate nutritional advice and intervention.

Keywords

Paternal Nutrition, Maternal Nutrition, Child Nutrition, Intra-Family Differences in Nutritional Status.

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Honey Kumari ¹, K. Kalaivani ¹, Prema Ramachandran ¹

Affiliations
1 Division of Public Health Nutrition, Nutrition Foundation of India, Delhi, IN

Abstract

In the 1970s Green Revolution enabled India to become self-sufficient in food production, but poverty, low dietary intake and under-nutrition were high. India identified poor families on the basis of energy consumption, provided employment to these families to improve purchasing power, subsidized food grains through PDS to improve family food security and food supplementation through ICDS to children and women from poor families to bridge the gap in their dietary intake. Over years, there has been a decline in under-nutrition but rate of decline was slow. The country is currently having persistent high under-nutrition in children, rise in over-nutrition in adults and increasing intra-family differences in nutritional status. A study was taken up in 547 urban low middle-income families with dual nutrition burden, to assess the current food and macronutrient consumption and food security status of the families and the nutritional status of the individual family members. The average energy intake of these families was 1900 Kcal. This was lower than the EAR for reference population (2110 Kcal/day) but higher by 140 Kcal when compared to the EAR for average Indian population (1760 Kcal/day). In pre-school and school-age children stunting rates were high but wasting and over-nutrition rates were low. Over-nutrition rates in adults were high perhaps due to higher energy intake as compared to the requirements for the short-statured sedentary adults. In view of these findings, it may be useful to explore a dual approach: programmes aimed at improving household food security continue to focus on families; while programmes aimed at improving nutritional status focus on anthropometric screening of individual members (children and adults) for early identification of under-or over-nutrition, appropriate management and monitoring improvement.

Keywords

Dietary Intake, Nutritional Status, Non-communicable Diseases, Children, Women, Men, Urban

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