Assessing Potential Risk Factors for Child Malnutrition in Rural Kerala, India

Abstract

Studies indicate that 42-57 per cent of all child deaths in developing countries are due to the potentiating effects of malnutrition on infectious disease, of which over three-quarters can be attributed to mild-to-moderate malnutrition. Risk factors for underweight status in children under 3 years of age were assessed in Kerala, India. Mothers of 34 children weighing below -1 SD for their age and 59 children weighing more than 1 SD for their age, were interviewed for information about maternal health, child feeding patterns, and sibling gender and age data. Statistical analysis showed that current maternal weight (odds ratio = 8.25, p = 0.0009), current maternal body mass index (OR = 4.55, p = 0.03), infant birth weight (OR = 4.87, p = 0.01) and excessive maternal vomiting in pregnancy (OR = 4.48, p = 0.04) were significant risk factors for current child underweight status. Based on this observed relationship of maternal nutritional factors with child weight-for-age status, further studies on interventions to address the health problems of adolescent girls and all women of reproductive age in Kerala are suggested, in addition to continuing the emphasis in current rural health and nutrition programs for pregnant and lactating mothers.

Prevalence and predictors of undernutrition among infants aged six and twelve months in Butajira, Ethiopia: The P-MaMiE Birth Cohort

“…Several investigators [20,19] have reported an increased risk of infant undernutrition resulting from sub-optimal feeding during early infancy (discarding of colostrum, delayed initiation of breast feeding, pre-lacteal feeding and non-exclusive breastfeeding). However, as in our study, other investigators did not replicate these findings [37,31]. In Bangladesh, food secure households were more likely to practice sub-optimal infant feeding at the age of 3-6 months [38] but the prevalence of undernutrition was significantly lower in this group compared to food insecure households [39].…”

Evaluating risk factors for protein-energy malnutrition in children under the age of six years: a case-control study from Iran

“…In contrast with expectations, the effect of birth weight was eliminated when the data were placed in a regression equation, even though an association has been reported between low birth weight and subsequent childhood malnutrition in other reviewed studies 5,12,14–16. It seems that maternal height as a predisposing factor affecting childhood birth weight is the strongest risk factor, and therefore the effect of birth weight was modified or neutralized in the regression equation.…”

“…Phengxay et al in Laos and Veghari and Gholam in Gorgan, Iran, reported male gender as a risk factor for malnutrition in children under 5 years,9,10 but in research by Setswe in Southern Africa,11 Sanghvi et al in Southern India,12 and Saadaat et al in Kashan, Iran,13 female gender was found to be more strongly related to childhood malnutrition. Considering the differences between these studies, it appears that gender is not a biological factor in malnutrition, but affects different stages of childhood growth via various cultural and social factors in different societies.…”

“…Sangvi et al12 have noted a relationship between hyperemesis of pregnancy and childhood malnutrition, although this may be due to a higher frequency of hyperemesis during pregnancy involving a female fetus. In this study, being pregnant with a female fetus was considered to be a primary factor in the relationship between hyperemesis of pregnancy and childhood malnutrition, and it was shown that the effect of hyperemesis of pregnancy was modified, but the effect of female gender of the child remained following regression analysis.…”

Mother's body mass index as a predictor of infant's nutritional status in the post-emergency phase of a flood

“…Maternal nutritional status associated with infant and child health has been established previously, but rarely in the aftermath of a crisis (Lima, Figueira and Ebrahim, 1990;Rahman et al, 1993;Mock et al, 1994;Sanghvi et al, 2001;Faber, Swanevelder and Benade, 2005;Rahman and Chowdhury, 2007). Rationing of food consumption is one of the first household responses to a crisis such as a flood (Corbett, 1988).…”