Abstract

Background: Malnutrition in children is widely prevalent in developing countries including India [1]. It is estimated that in India 65% (approx. 80 million) children under five years of age suffer from varying degrees of malnutrition[2]. More than 33% of deaths in 0-5years are associated with malnutrition[1]. The current study was carried out in a tertiary level teaching hospital in Tumkur District of Karnataka to determine the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted among 256 under five children visiting a tertiary care centre, Tumakuru from month May 2023 to July 2023. Convenient sampling method was incorporated. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data was analyzed using Epi-Info TM version 7.2.1. Results: In the present study, 104 (40.62%) were stunted, 137(53.52%) were of normal height and 15(5.86%) were tall for their age. Approximately, 156 (60.94%) were underweight, 98(38.28) were of normal weight and 2(0.78) were obese. Nearly, 158(61.72%) were wasted, 97(37.89%) were of normal weight for length and 4(1.56) were overweight/ obese. Age of child (length for age, weight for age and BMI for age), gender (length for age, weight for age, weight for height), mothers education (BMI for age, weight for height) and socioeconomic status (weight for age, weight for height) were significantly associated with mean z-scores as mentioned in the bracket (p-value<0.05). However, there was no association between parents age, birth order, fathers education and type of family with nutritional status of under-five children.

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