Maternal nutrition needs to be addressed during pregnancy for the child's first 1,000 days of life, or roughly between conception and a child's second birthday. The infant requires just breast milk for the first six months of life. The production of breastmilk and its nutritional value is essentially unaffected by maternal privation. The child's health suffers when the mother's diet and health are impaired. This review aims to discuss the importance of pregnant women's nutrition and how it impacts the development and expansion of a child during this critical period of development, which is supported by the most recent literature. Throughout the child's growth in the mother's womb and outside, four distinct stages have been identified:(1) nine months to zero months: pregnancy; (2) zero to six months: breastfeeding; (3) six to 12 months: introduction of solid food; and (4) >12 months: transition to family diet, appreciation of nutritious food offered within each period for the child's development. Moreover, there is a strong link between nutrition, well-being, and learning. The nutritional intake of infants, children, and adolescents maintains the body weight and is sufficient to sustain their normal growth and development. One of the crucial factors influencing a child's development is nutrition. Rapid growth occurs during infancy. Compared to other growth phases, this phase has the largest relative energy and food needs for body size.

Improvements in the analysis of child nutrition status can be helpful in increasing the understanding of the magnitude and critical causes of undernutrition. The present study aimed to assess the nutritional status and related factors in children under two years of age in the Devbhumi Dwarka District of Gujarat, India. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted for which the sample size was calculated using Open Epi and considering a 20% non-response rate. The sample size for the study was 1200, but the achieved sample size was 1301. Statistical analysis was performed to identify significant determinants of under-nutrition separately for stunting, wasting, and underweight. The prevalence of wasting, underweight, and stunting was 14%, 17%, and 32%, respectively. Prevalence of low birth weight was recorded as 14% in the district. The overall prevalence of overweight was 20% and 6% as per weight for height and weight for age criteria, respectively. The proportion of children with exclusive breastfeeding was observed to be decreasing with increasing age from birth to six months. About 70% of children were exclusively breastfed at the age of six months. Chi-square analyses revealed that parity and spacing are significant determinants of undernutrition in children under two years in the Devbhumi Dwarka District. A multipronged and convergence approach is needed to combat the menace of child malnutrition.

BackgroundMalnutrition among children, adolescent girls and women is a serious public health issue in India. Malnutrition among adolescent girls is likely to carry on this vicious cycle by giving birth to low birthweight babies. Moreover, low birthweight babies who survive are likely to suffer growth retardation and illness throughout their childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Present situation analysis highlights not only the overall nutrition picture of Devbhumi Dwarka but also narrates the uptake of current nutrition and healthcare services in the Devbhumi Dwarka district. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 3,738 study population (1,301 children, 1,185 pregnant and lactating women and 1,252 adolescent girls) across four blocks of the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat. Anthropometric assessments were carried out and the WHO Asia Pacific classification was used for the assessment of malnutrition. ResultsThe prevalence of wasting, underweight and stunting was 14%, 17% and 32%, respectively, in children under two years of age. The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women (Hb <11 g/dL) was 72.92%; 91.36% of lactating women were anaemic (Hb <12 g/dL). The prevalence of underweight (<-2 SD) among adolescent girls was 19.6%. Block-wise variation in prevalence was observed. Overall, utilization of integrated child development services and health services by these target groups remained sub-optimal. ConclusionThe study has revealed the suboptimal nutritional status of children, pregnant and lactating women and adolescent girls of Devbhumi Dwarka, which signifies the need for urgent attention. Several areas of priority have been identified and discussed to improve the overall nutrition status in the district.