Frequency and determinants of malnutrition in children aged between 6 to 59 months in district Tharparkar, a rural area of Sindh.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the nutritional status of children living in Tharparkar.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted in four villages of Tharparkar district of Sindh, Pakistan, in 2014, and comprised children aged between 6 and 59 months. Data was collected from mothers and anthropometry of children was done using standard techniques. Nutritional status was assessed by using age- and sex-specific World Health Organisation standard charts for underweight, stunting and wasting. Data was analysed using SPSS 16.

RESULTS

Of the 304 children assessed, 117(38.5%) were stunted, 58(19.1 %) were wasted and 101(33.2 %) were underweight with no gender discrimination. Under-nutrition was particularly observed in the second year of life. Statistically significant factors associated with stunting were illiteracy of mother, family size of >5 members, pregnancy>4 times, child mortality in last 6 months, absence of breastfeeding and no history of child vaccination(p<0.05 each). Logistic regression revealed family size of <5 members, pregnancy ?4 times, breastfeeding and vaccination were protective factors for stunting (p<0.05 each). Mortality of a child in the last 6 months in the family was 3 times more likely to have a stunted child.

CONCLUSIONS

Stunting was the most common type of under-nutrition with no sex discrimination.