High prevalence of stunting among Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme Children aged 1-5 years of Chapra Block, Nadia District, West Bengal, India.

Abstract

The present study investigated age and sex variations in height and weight, and levels of stunting, among 673 (boys = 323; girls = 350) 1-5 years old rural children of Bengalee ethnicity at 30 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Centers of Chapra Block, Nadia District, West Bengal, India. Height-for-age (HAZ) was used to evaluate stunting following the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Guidelines. Results showed that boys were significantly heavier and taller than girls at ages 2-4 years. Significant age differences existed in mean height and weight in both sexes. Mean HAZ was less than those of NCHS for both sexes at all ages. The overall (age and sex combined) rate of stunting was 39.2 %. The prevalence of stunting was higher among boys (43.4 %) than girls (35.4). Based on World Health Organization classification of severity of malnutrition, the overall prevalence of stunting was very high (≥ 40 %) among boys and high (30-39 %) among girls. In conclusion, the nutritional status of the subjects is unsatisfactory indicating a major public health problem. There is scope for much improvement in the form of enhanced supplementary nutrition. Funding: Loka Kalyan Parishad, Kolkata