Assessment of Nutrition, Morbidity & Immunization Status of Children (24 to 59 months) attending a Rural Medical College Hospital of West Bengal

Abstract

Background: Nearly half of India’s children - 43% are underweight, 45% are stunted and 20% are wasted;26.3 million cases of ARI were reported in 2011 with an incidence rate of 2179 per lakh population; 10.6 million cases of diarrhoea with 1293 deaths were reported in 2011; fully immunized coverage in the age-group of 12-23 month old children was 61%.. This study was conducted to assess the morbidity profile, under nutrition and immunization status of 24 to 59 months old children in a medical college hospital of West Bengal. Methods: An Institution based cross sectional study was conducted among 450 children of 24 – 59 months, attended Paediatric Out Patient Department and Immunization Clinic of Midnapore Medical College & Hospital, from July to September 2013 using a predesigned pretested schedule. Results: the prevalence of underweight, wasting and stunting was 42.44%, 20.22% and 51.78% respectively. Boys suffered more than girls in all three indicators. Acute Respiratory Infections (54.22%) and diarrhea (52.66%) were the common morbidities; 79.33% were fully immunized; 14.67% were partially immunized and 6% were unimmunized. Conclusion: The problem of under-nutrition, common morbidities and low immunization amongst pre-school children needs to be addressed through comprehensive preventive, promotive, curative and social measures.