Nutritional status of mothers, children in Kalahandi normal: Study

Women with BMI value below 16 were considered to represent chronic energy deficiency (CED) group III. Recording of less than 10 per cent of mothers with CED group III could be taken as a major pointer indicating satisfactory nutritional status of Kalahandi mothers, the report observed.

All the 607 mothers were covered for the assessment of clinical nutrional status. According to the survey, Vitamin-A deficiency, mostly Bitot’s spots was observed in 58 mothers (9.5%). Vitamin B-Complex deficiency was observed in 59 (9.7%). The survey found that 21 (3.4%) women exhibited goitre of different degrees indicating the presence of iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) in this region.

The survey covered 765 children under five years of age. This included 343 children surveyed during January, 1997 soon after several reports appeared in the local and national newspapers regarding epidemic deaths attributed to several causes including starvation. Severe malnutrition as measured by the proportion of children with less than 60 per cent of referral body weight was observed in 8 to 9 per cent of children aged below five years. The NNMB surveys also reported similar picture for rural India.

About 10 per cent of the one to five year children and 22 per cent of children below one year registered normal nutritional status with 90 per cent or more of referral body weight.

Out of the 592 children covered for assessment of clinical nutritional status protein energy malnutrition (PEM) was seen in four children (0.7%). Vitamin B-complex deficiency was observed in 34 children while Vitamin-A deficiency was recorded in 7 (1.2%) children.