Measuring Poverty through Child Malnutrition A Study With Special Referance To Arumbavur Village At Perambalur District

Abstract

Malnutrition is identified by a weight for height indicator within a given population, or by a measurement of a child's mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). If dietary deficiencies are persistent, children will stop growing and become stunted (low height for one's age). This is referred to as chronic malnutrition. If they experience weight loss or 'wasting' (low weight for one's height), they are described as suffering from acute malnutrition. India's ICDS scheme The Integrated Child Development Scheme is perhaps the largest of all food and supplementation programmes in the world and was set up as an institutional response to the problem of malnutrition in India. Initiated in 1975, the ICDS was mandated with improving the health and nutrition status of children up to the age of six by providing supplementary food and by coordinating with state health departments to ensure delivery of required health inputs. Under the ICDS, cooked food is provided to children through anganwadi (community) centre's. One centre is provided for a population of 1000 (700 in the case of tribal areas). Fifty million children aged six and below are covered under this Rs.45 billion outreach programme. There has been much research on the benefit of micronutrient replacement and the promotion of breastfeeding as ways to prevent malnutrition and its complications in children. The study found the income level is lesser than national average. Even though there is a minimum availability of nutritious food to children's, majority of them are found to be malnourished.