TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF NON-DIETARY FACTORS ON CHILDREN WITH SEVERE ACUTE MALNUTRITION LESS THAN 5 YEARS OF AGE.

*Dr. Sudhir MehtaMBBS, DCH, DNB [PEDIATRICS]

ABSTRACT

Aim of the study: To study the impact of non-dietary factors on children with severe acute malnutrition less than 5 years of age. Background: Severe acute malnutrition among the children below 5 years of age remains a major embarrassment and impediment to optimal human capital development globally. Despite being an important health problem in developing countries, there is little information available on factors affecting the malnutrition, especially non dietary ones. Material and Methods: This study enrolled 400 children between 6 to 60 months of severe acute malnutrition based on WHO criteria of severe acute malnutrition. The impact of non-dietary factors related to Child, Mother and Socioeconomic status . These data were collected by structured questionnaire and were analyzed. Results: The common contributory factors for not gaining were: lack of mother’s knowledge about infant feeding practices, low socioeconomic status, poor maternal literacy, history of recurrent infections. Conclusion: This study concludes that various non- dietary factors play an important role in etiology of children with SAM. The diet is not the only solution to this problem.

Keywords: Children, Non- dietary, Malnutrition.