Acute Malnutrition Associated with Mid-upper Arm Circumference Among Under-five Children in Tribal Areas, India: a Cross-sectional Study

Overview

Journal Public Health Nutr

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Date 2024 Dec 5

PMID 39632707

Authors

Shraboni Patra

Shashikant Sambharkar

Sheetal Harode

Kalpana Barde

Amta Pillewan

Amita Pillewan

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: For the past three decades, India has implemented several nutrition programmes to address malnutrition in the under-fives. To understand the programme's impact, this study assesses the prevalence of acute malnutrition, moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM), using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among tribal children.

Design: The survey was conducted in two tribal blocks (Desaiganj and Bhamragad) of the Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra to identify children registered in the 'Anganwadi' program.

Setting: A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out.

Participants: The total sample size was 1055 children (aged 0-59 months).

Results: The overall prevalence of SAM and MAM was 1·4 % ( 15) and 9·8 % ( 103). A higher prevalence of MAM was found in males (38·5 %, 40) and females (27·1 %, 28) in below 6 months. Additionally, a higher prevalence of MAM was observed in females (10·7 %, 113) compared with males (9·0 %, 95). The prevalence of SAM was significantly ( < 0·001) higher in females (1·7 %, 18) than in males (1·0 %, 11). Children aged between 12 and 17 months were sixteen times more likely (OR = 16·9, < 0·001, CI = 4·8, 59·6) to have MAM (MUAC < 12·5 cm) than children aged between 6 and 11 months. Children from the Desaiganj block were significantly less likely (OR = 0·4, < 0·001, CI = 0·2, 0·7) to have MAM compared with children from Bhamragad. Approximately 4 % ( 42) of children were classified as critically malnourished.

Conclusion: There is an urgent need for block-level monitoring of MAM and SAM, as well as evaluation of existing nutrition programmes, to address the disparity in the sex-specific prevalence of MAM and SAM in tribal areas.

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