K S Vigneshwar, Shah Pankaj B
Department of Community Medicine, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, IND.
Cureus. 2024 Apr 14;16(4):e58236. doi: 10.7759/cureus.58236. eCollection 2024 Apr.
Background Special needs children have various health problems, and the most common problems are nutritional deficiency and malnourishment which leads to increased morbidity affecting their quality of life. This study aims to assess the nutritional status and health-seeking behaviour of special needs children. Methods The study was conducted among 46 special needs children at a special needs children's home. After collecting basic sociodemographic details, they were assessed for nutritional status and health-seeking behaviour using a semi-structured questionnaire followed by general and clinical examination. Results Out of these 46 special needs children, 69.6% were male and 30.4% were female. The mean age was 11.69±4.62 years. In this study, 65.22% were underweight; 6.52% were overweight; 10.87% were obese I; 4.35% were obese III; 13.04% were normal. Among them, 37% seek Government healthcare facilities for their healthcare needs. Referral advice was provided to all required children. Conclusion A high proportion of the special needs children were screened positive for nutritional deficiency and malnourishment which needs to be addressed. Interventions should be aimed at correcting the nutritional deficiency and malnourishment by involving the caretakers, mainly mothers of these children.
特殊需求儿童存在各种健康问题，最常见的问题是营养缺乏和营养不良，这会导致发病率上升，影响他们的生活质量。本研究旨在评估特殊需求儿童的营养状况和就医行为。方法：该研究在一家特殊需求儿童之家对46名特殊需求儿童进行。收集基本社会人口学细节后，使用半结构化问卷对他们的营养状况和就医行为进行评估，随后进行全身和临床检查。结果：在这46名特殊需求儿童中，69.6%为男性，30.4%为女性。平均年龄为11.69±4.62岁。在本研究中，65.22%体重不足；6.52%超重；10.87%为I度肥胖；4.35%为III度肥胖；13.04%正常。其中，37%的儿童就医需求选择政府医疗设施。为所有需要的儿童提供了转诊建议。结论：很大比例的特殊需求儿童营养缺乏和营养不良筛查呈阳性，这需要得到解决。干预措施应旨在通过让照顾者，主要是这些儿童的母亲参与来纠正营养缺乏和营养不良。
