Growth Assessment of Under-Five Children of Employed and Unemployed Mothers of Etawah District, Uttar Pradesh: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

Introduction The under-fiveage group is crucial because the health profile of this age group will have a huge effect on the future development of the nation. Early infancy is marked by several distinct developmental characteristics. Progress in each domain of childhood development is used to track a child's development. Objectives The objectives of the present study were to assess and compare the growth of under-five children of employed and unemployed mothers in the Etawah District of Uttar Pradesh, India. Material and methods A community-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in Etawah district's urban and rural areas between January 2021 and June 2022. A total of 200 mothers with children under the age of five were recruited using the purposive sampling method. To gather pertinent information, a semi-structured, pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. Results In the present study on the comparison of the growth of children among employed and unemployed mothers, it shows that 48 children (50.5%) with a weight between 10.5 and 15 kg were of employed mothers, while 52 children weighing less than 10.5kg were of unemployed mothers (p<0.001). Forty-four children (57.1%) with a chest circumference of more than 48 cm were of employed mothers, while 26 children (78.8%) with a chest circumference of less than 45 cm were of unemployed mothers (p = 0.001). Conclusion The present study indicates that statistically significant differences were found in age-appropriate gain in weight and chest circumference, which was higher among the children of employed mothers in comparison to children ofunemployed mothers. There was no statistically significant difference in age-appropriate gain in height, head circumference, or mid-upper arm circumference among the children of employed mothers and unemployed mothers.