Toddler Age Research Articles

Knowledge of Mothers and Toddler Age Related to Active Visits in Posyandu

Growth monitoring in toddlers requires standardization by looking at the scope of weighing (D / S) or the number of toddlers weighed compared to the total number of toddlers in a health center work area at a period of time. The study aimed to determine factors that affect the activeness of visiting Posyandu. The research method was a survey with a cross-sectional study design. The population was all toddlers registered in the Hulonthalangi Health Center working area including 998 toddlers, while sampling was carried out by simple random sampling with 91 respondents. The variables included the activeness of Posyandu visits, the age of the mother, the mother's education, the mother's occupation, and knowledge of mothers under five. The results of the study showed that many of the toddlers mothers had age 20-35 years (63.7%), maternal education ≥ 9 years (64.8%) and working mothers (18.7%), boys toddlers (54.9%). Bivariate analysis showed there were not association between mothers age (p value = 0.550), mothers education (p value = 0.727), mothers occupation (p value = 0.669) dan toddlers sex (p value = 0.094) with Posyandu visit. There were association between mothers knowledge with Posyandu visit (p value = 0.018), toddlers age 1 – 2 years (59.3%) have association with Posyandu visits (p value = 0.015). The conclusion showed association between knowledge of mothers and toddlers age with activeness of visiting Posyandu.

Pediatric Solid-State 3D Models of Lumbar Vertebrae and Spine.

Introduction While various 3D vertebral models have been utilized in numerous studies, there is a notable gap in the representation of pediatric lumbar vertebrae and spine. This study aimed to describe the changing shapes of lumbar vertebrae and spine with age and to develop precise 3D models. Materials and methods Solid-state 3D models of pediatric lumbar vertebrae and spine were created using SOLIDWORKS® Simulation softwarefor five age groups:newborns, infants (ages 0-1), toddlers (ages 1-3), middle childhood (ages 4-7), and preadolescents (ages 8-12). Models were composed of components with varying biomechanical characteristics. Results Created 3D models replicate variations in the dimensions and configurations of vertebrae, taking into account osteometric analyses conducted on actual vertebral specimens. These models also include elements made of cartilage, representing various phases of vertebral growth during ontogeny. Additionally, through 3D parametric design, we developed comprehensive lumbar spine models, incorporating both the vertebrae and intervertebral disks. Conclusion Created pediatric solid-state vertebral 3D models can be utilized in developing virtual or augmented reality applications and for medical research. Users can interact with models, allowing virtual exploration and manipulation, enhancing learning experiences and facilitating a better understanding of spatial relationships. These solid-state 3D models allow finite element analysis and can be used for further research to calculate internal relative deformations and stress distribution under different conditions.

Feeding Behaviors in Infants and Toddlers Later Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are five times more likely to have feeding difficulties than neurotypical peers, although the majority of evidence describes feeding difficulty in children age 2 years and older. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the literature on feeding characteristics of children age 0-24 months who were later diagnosed with ASD with an emphasis on the measurement tools used to assess these feeding behaviors. We conducted a systematic review of the literature using PRISMA guidelines. Using selected keywords, a search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases for relevant articles to identify feeding characteristics in infants and toddlers (age 0-24 months) later diagnosed with ASD. Sixteen studies were selected for this review by two independent reviewers. Among the selected studies, feeding difficulties were reported in all infant oral feeding modalities (breastfeeding, bottle feeding, and complementary feeding) by infants later diagnosed with ASD. However, the evidence was conflicting among studies regarding feeding characteristics, such as sucking differences while breastfeeding, use of the spoon with feedings, and preference of solid food texture, that presented in infants later diagnosed with ASD. A lack of consistent measurement of feeding behaviors in infants later diagnosed with ASD contributes to the difficulty in comparison across studies. Future research should focus on developing targeted, validated instruments for measuring feeding difficulty in this population with emphasis on breastfeeding and bottle feeding difficulty.

Prevention Of Lack of Nutrition And Stunting through Class of Pregnant Women And Toddlers 0 – 5 Years

Nutritional status is an indicator of success in health development in Indonesia. One of the nutritional problems that is still a serious challenge for health workers is malnutrition in toddlers and toddlers. Even though toddlers are the seeds of the nation's future generation. Toddlers themselves are very vulnerable to experiencing health problems as a result of poor nutritional status. Given that toddler age is the beginning of child growth and development. The impact of malnutrition on toddlers is quite diverse, including increasing the risk of infectious diseases, inhibiting the growth and development of children, causing health problems during adolescence and adulthood, and even increasing the risk of child death. This community service activity aims to increase knowledge and develop the skills of pregnant women and toddlers in meeting nutritional needs during pregnancy and toddler nutrition as well as managing healthy eating for toddlers. The methods used in the activity is counseling/education, demonstrations, and competitions for healthy infants and toddlers. The results of this activity helped almost all participants to understand infant nutrition and pregnant women's nutrition and participants were also able to manage food accordingly

Mother's knowledge and attitudes towards preventing stunting in their toddlers (1-5 years) in West Java Indonesia

Background: Stunting is a term used to describe a condition when a child's physical growth does not reach the height that should be appropriate for his age. This indicates that the child is experiencing growth delays which can have a negative impact on their physical and cognitive development. Stunting or shortness of breath occurs when babies (0-11 months) and toddlers (12-59 months) experience growth failure as a result of chronic malnutrition, especially during the first 1,000 days of life. The impact is that the child has a shorter height than the standard that should be appropriate for his age. Purpose: To determine the relationship between knowledge and attitudes of mothers towards stunting in toddlers (1-5 years) in the Ciherang Community Health Center working area, Cianjur Regency in 2023. Method: Quantitative research with a research design cross sectional. This research was conducted from April to May 2023. Respondents were 53 mothers who had stunted children under five. Data collection was carried out by observing, analyzing data using tests spend-square. Results: Analysis results spend-square earned value p-value = 0.003 < 0.05. Conclusion: There is a relationship between mother's knowledge and attitude towards stunting. Suggestion: It is hoped that it can increase knowledge and insight for mothers to know the importance of prevention stunting from the age of toddlers in order to reduce the number of incidents stunting in Indonesia, especially in the Cianjur Region.

Pediatric hemolysis in emergency departments: Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications.

This study aimed to analyze the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical implications of hemolyzed laboratory samples in the pediatric emergency department (ED), a subject on which existing data remains scarce. We conducted a multi-site observational cohort analysis of pediatric ED encounters in Metro Detroit, Michigan, United States. The study included participants below 18 years of age who had undergone peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) placement and laboratory testing. The primary outcome was the presence of hemolysis, and secondary outcomes included identifying risk factors for hemolysis and assessing the impact of hemolysis on PIVC failure. Between January 2021 and May 2022, 10,462 ED encounters met inclusion criteria, of which 14.0% showed laboratory evidence of hemolysis. The highest proportion of hemolysis occurred in the infant (age 0-1) population (20.1%). Multivariable regression analysis indicated higher odds of hemolysis for PIVCs placed in the hand/wrist in the toddler (age 2-5) and child (age 6-11) subgroups. PIVCs placed in the hand/wrist also demonstrated higher odds of failure in infants. Hemolysis in the pediatric ED population is a frequent complication that occurs at similar rates as in adults. PIVCs placed in the hand/wrist were associated with higher odds of hemolysis compared to those placed in the antecubital fossa. Clinicians should consider alternative locations for PIVC placement if clinically appropriate. Further research is needed to better understand the clinical implications of pediatric hemolysis.

Assessment of Temper Tantrum Behaviour in Preschool Children: A Descriptive Survey Approach

Objective: The purpose of the study is to assess parents’ experiences and associate demographic characteristics of parents and children with temper tantrum behavior characteristics of preschool children. Methods: A descriptive survey approach was used to conduct this study. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was adopted to recruit 121 parents of children aged between 3-6 years visiting a selected tertiary care hospital in India. All parents completed the parents’ experience of temper tan- trums in the children’s questionnaire. The analysis of results was carried out on IBM SPSS Software version 23.0. Results: A moderate level of temper tantrums showed on the mother’s age, education, occupation, marital status, program attendance, and medical and mental illness in the family, whereas a family’s monthly income above 50,000 indicated a severe level of temper tantrums, and half of the children ex- perienced tantrum behavior to get the attention of their parents, hungry and tired. The most frequently reported tantrum behavior was throwing things and hitting parents and siblings, and most tantrums occurred in public places and in vehicles. The majority of the parents adopted strategies to distract their child’s attention by helping the child talk about the causes of anger. A significant association was found between temper tantrum behavior and demographic characteristics of the marital status of parents (x2 = 15.340, p = 0.002) and the awareness program attended regarding temper tantrums in children (x2 = 4.491, p = 0.034). Conclusion: As temper tantrums peak in the toddler age group, the present study found that parental involvement is a necessity to manage temper tantrums in preschoolers as well. The main parent’s strategies to control the tantrum were distraction of child attention and helped them to talk about the causes of tantrum. Therefore, the study emphasizes the necessity of the involvement of parents and family members.

The Influence Of Booklet On The Success Of Toilet Training In Children Aged 2-3 Years At Ra Bintang Zhafira Tulang Bawang Regency

Background: According to the Child Development Institute Toilet training, it is reported that 10 -20% of children aged 5 years, 5% of children aged 10 years, almost 2% of children aged 12-14 years, and 1% of children aged 18 years still wet the bed. Toilet training is an effort to train children to be able to control defecation (BAB) and urination (BAK) in their place (toilet). Education is one way to increase mothers' or parents' intellectual knowledge about toilet training. Education or health education can be provided using various methods and media, including: lectures, discussions, giving leaflets, booklets or direct practice related to the mother's needs. A booklet is a small book that contains writing, pictures or both. Research objective: to determine the effect of booklets on the success of toilet training in children aged 2-3 years at RA Bintang Zhafira, Tulang Bawang Regency. Research method: This research uses quantitative with a Quasy Experiment design with a one group pretest and posttest design. The population in this study was 32 mothers who had children aged 2-3 years and the sample taken was 32 respondents. The research was carried out at RA Bintang Zhafira, Tulang Bawang Regency in December 2023-January 2024. Data analysis was carried out univariate and bivariate (t test). Research results: it is known that the average success of toilet training before intervention was given to children aged 2-3 years was 8.0 and after intervention was given to children aged 2-3 years was 12.1. There is an influence of the booklet on the success of toilet training in children aged 2-3 years at RA Bintang Zhafira, Tulang Bawang Regency with p-value = 0.000 or p ≤ α (0.05). Conclusions and Suggestions: There is an influence of the booklet on the success of toilet training in children aged 2-3 years at RA Bintang Zhafira, Tulang Bawang Regency and suggestions for RA Bintang can provide health education to mothers who have toddler age children regarding the implementation of toilet training.

Prenatal tobacco, tobacco-cannabis coexposure, and child emotion regulation: The role of child autonomic functioning and sensitive parenting.

Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and tobacco-cannabis coexposure (PTCE) co-occur with negative maternal emotional functioning (termed prenatal risks) and together increase risk for child regulatory problems at early school age (ESA). Little is known about developmental processes in early childhood that may mediate this association. We examined two hypothesized mediational processes linking prenatal risks to ESA emotion regulation (ER) and lability-negativity; parasympathetic functioning at toddler age and chronic risk reflected by continued postnatal maternal negative emotional functioning (i.e., depression, anger/hostility, and emotion dysregulation) and substance exposure. Congruent with differential susceptibility theory, we examined interactions between sensitive parenting and toddler parasympathetic functioning predicting ESA ER. Finally, we explored the role of child sex as a moderator. Mothers (N = 247; 53% male infants; 51% Black, 31% White, 19% Hispanic, and 8% other or mixed race) were recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy into one of three groups: PTE (n = 81), PTCE (n = 97), and no substance exposure (n = 69) matched on age and education. Substance exposure was assessed using multiple methods, maternal negative emotional functioning via self-reports, parenting with observations, and child ER using teacher, maternal, and lab assessor reports. Results supported a chronic risk pathway with less support for a parasympathetic pathway. Toddlers who demonstrated respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal to frustration were susceptible to the positive context of sensitive parenting in predicting higher ER. Results emphasize the importance of chronicity of postnatal risks including substance exposure and evaluating the differential impact of positive environments for children with substance exposure. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Bitterballen Formulation of Chicken Meat, Sorghum Flour, and Green Spinach as an Alternative Additional Feeding For Stunted Toddlers Age 12-23 Months

Lack of nutrition in children and stunting may be caused by several interrelated factors. One of the factors that can influence the emergence of growth retardation in children under five is a lack of food intake such as protein, energy, and zinc children failing to grow. This research analyzes the nutritional values, organoleptic quality, and best level of treatment for Bitterballen with a formulation of chicken meat, sorghum flour, and green spinach as an alternative for providing additional food to stunted toddlers aged 12-23 months. The approach used is quantitative and qualitative by analyzing the organoleptic quality results of Bitterballen, determining the best formulation treatment, and calculating the nutritional value using the yield factor and retention factor for each treatment. The manufacturing procedure was first carried out by formulating three treatments with a ratio of chicken meat, sorghum flour, and green spinach. Of all the treatments, treatment 1 had the highest acceptability, namely containing 287.86 kcal of energy with a nutritional value of 12.71 grams of protein, 17.93 grams of fat, and 19.48 grams of carbohydrates. The organoleptic quality produced by T1 is that it has a light brown color, the aroma is savory, not fishy, and not rancid, the taste produced by T1 is savory and not unpleasant, with the inner texture produced by T1 is not gritty and the outer part is crunchy. The aftertaste is savory and slightly gritty.

Parenting Influences on Frontal Lobe Gray Matter and Preterm Toddlers' Problem-Solving Skills.

Children born preterm often face challenges with self-regulation during toddlerhood. This study examined the relationship between prematurity, supportive parent behaviors, frontal lobe gray matter volume (GMV), and emotion regulation (ER) among toddlers during a parent-assisted, increasingly complex problem-solving task, validated for this age range. Data were collected from preterm toddlers (n = 57) ages 15-30 months corrected for prematurity and their primary caregivers. MRI data were collected during toddlers' natural sleep. The sample contained three gestational groups: 22-27 weeks (extremely preterm; EPT), 28-33 weeks (very preterm; VPT), and 34-36 weeks (late preterm; LPT). Older toddlers became more compliant as the Tool Task increased in difficulty, but this pattern varied by gestational group. Engagement was highest for LPT toddlers, for older toddlers, and for the easiest task condition. Parents did not differentiate their support depending on task difficulty or their child's age or gestational group. Older children had greater frontal lobe GMV, and for EPT toddlers only, more parent support was related to larger right frontal lobe GMV. We found that parent support had the greatest impact on high birth risk (≤27 gestational weeks) toddler brain development, thus early parent interventions may normalize preterm child neurodevelopment and have lasting impacts.

The Influence Of Health Education On Mother's Knowledge About Stunting Prevention In Toddler Age Children: Literature Review

The Influence Of Health Education On Mother's Knowledge About Stunting Prevention In Toddler Age Children: Literature Review

User Satisfaction with Application for Postpartum Maternal Gymnastics (SIMPOR)

Introduction: Bleeding is the main cause of 50%-60% morbidity and mortality in the postpartum period due to imperfect myometrial contraction. Postpartum exercise is one of the actions of maximizing uterine contractions. It's accelerate uterine involution. Technology development very fast today, improvement of postpartum android base application that's applicable, educative and informative is needed. This study aims to develop a postpartum maternal exercise application (SIMPOR) for postpartum mothers using Android then test them until obtaining descriptions about satisfaction with the SIMPOR application. Methods: This study used a Research and Development method (R&D) with 152 respondents taken by proportional stratified random sampling. Data analysis was chi-square with univariate and bivariate. Results: The majority of participants were aged in 20-40 years old (98%), educational majority in higher education (59.9%), most of the respondents were housewives (65.8%), having more than one toddler (77.6%), and the average of toddler age was less than 2 years old (84.2%). Most of the respondents' satisfaction with the SIMPOR application was very satisfied (88.16%); 3) There was a relationship between mother's work, parity, and the smallest child age on the satisfaction of using the SIMPOR application with pvalue<0.05. Conclusion: Participants were very satisfied with this SIMPOR application. Based on that result, hopefully postpartum mothers can use this application as postpartum exercise guidance and to monitor their process postpartum period involution.

The Current Pattern of Pediatric Burn Injuries in an Australian Major Burns Center.

Burns are a common mechanism of pediatric injury worldwide and a notable cause of disability-adjusted life-years. Burns in children represent a unique challenge due to the differences from adults regarding physical characteristics, physiology, and psychology. This retrospective cohort study examined trends of pediatric burns in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, from 2010 to 2022. It specifically focused on the changes in burn etiology and patient characteristics, body area affected, TBSA, first aid, location, and management. It also compared a "Pre-COVID-19" and "Peri-COVID-19" era to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the pattern of pediatric burns, as children are at higher risk of injury during times of social disruption. The study found that burns in children continue to be concentrated in the toddler and preschooler age group, and the main mechanisms of injury remain as scald and contact burns. In recent years, there has been a rising trend of friction burns, alongside a fall in flame burns and severe burns. Management of pediatric burns has also evolved, with predominant use of ambulatory care and low rates of admission and operative intervention. Trends in burn injury continue to evolve with time, and over the last decade in NSW, key changes in the pattern of pediatric burns have been observed, with evolving mechanisms of injury, reduced severity of burns, and a shift toward ambulatory care.

Hubungan Pengetahuan Dan Sikap Ibu Dengan Pemberian Makanan Pendamping ASI (MP -ASI) Pada Anak Usia 6 - 24 Bulan di Puskesmas Laubaleng Kabupaten Karo Tahun 2023

Providing Complementary Food with Breast Milk (MP-ASI) to babies must pay attention to the recommended Nutritional Adequacy Rate (AKG) based on age group and food texture that is appropriate to the development of the toddler's age. This research aims to determine the relationship between maternal knowledge and attitudes and the provision of complementary foods for breast milk (Mp-Asi) in children aged 6 - 24 months at the Laubaleng Community Health Center, Karo Regency in 2023. This type of research is research using an analytical survey with a cross sectional method approach. The population is all mothers who have children aged 6 - 24 months, totaling 46 people. The number of samples used was 46 people obtained using the total sampling technique. The data analysis technique uses chi square. The results obtained in this study were that from 46 respondents, there was a relationship between maternal knowledge and the provision of complementary foods for breast milk (MP-ASI) in children aged 6 - 24 months, showing that the p value = 0.023 < 0.05. It is recommended for Health Workers to increase education regarding Complementary Feeding for Breast Milk (MP-ASI).

The impact of age-specific childhood body-mass index on adult cardiometabolic traits: a Mendelian randomization study.

To evaluate the causal relationship between childhood body-mass index (BMI) at different ages and adult cardiometabolic traits. We retrieved genetic instrument variables (IVs) for exposures (standardized BMI at newborn, infant, toddler and late childhood), cardiometabolic traits and potential confounders or mediators (adult BMI, SHBG, testosterone and age at menarche) from the corresponding genome-wide association analysis. We performed univariate and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) to dissect associations between age-specific childhood BMI and adult cardiometabolic outcomes. Odds ratio was used to present the direction of the causal association. In univariate MR, higher newborn BMI was causally associated with reduced risk for type 2 diabetes in women. Late childhood BMI was associated with increased risk for female diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD), myocardial infarction (MI), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in general population. Among these associations, only association between late childhood BMI with MI remained significant after adjusting for adult male BMI and sex hormones, (OR = 1.120, 95% CI 1.023-1.226, p = 0.014). Besides, in multivariable MR, we found evidence for causal association between newborn BMI with reduced risk for CAD (OR = 0.862, 95% CI 0.751-0.989, p = 0.034) and MI (OR = 0.864, 95% CI 0.752-0.991, p = 0.037) in men. No obvious impact of infant or toddler BMI was identified on the above-mentioned diseases. For continuous cardiometabolic traits, in all age epochs except infant, higher BMI was associated with increased level of fasting glucose in women. BMI at birth and late childhood exerts different impact on adult cardiometabolic diseases, while BMI at infant and toddler ages is not causally associated with these outcomes. The effect of childhood BMI may be influenced by sex disparities.

HUBUNGAN BERAT BADAN LAHIR RENDAH DENGAN KEJADIAN STUNTING PADA ANAK USIA 1-5 TAHUN DI WILAYAH KERJA PUSKESMAS JORONGAN

Toddlers are individuals or groups of individuals from a population who are within a certain age range. Toddler age can be grouped into three groups, namely infant age groups (0-2 years), toddler groups (2-3 years), and preschool groups (> 3-5 years) (Chandra Juita, 2021). The purpose of this study was to analyze low birth weight with stunting in children aged 1-5 years in the working area of ​​the Jorongan Health Center.The research design used correlational analysis. The population was all children aged 1-5 years and experience LBW in February 2023 as many as 194 people. The research sample included 131 toddlers aged 1-5 years who had LBW according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria in February 2023 used the Random Sampling technique. Collecting data using a questionnaire then the data is processed using SPSS using Chi square. The results of the analysis showed that the majority of respondents who experienced LBW were 130 people (100%), the incidence of stunting was 76 people (58%). while the results of the Chi-Square test between LBW and the incidence of stunting obtained a p-value of 0.000 (p-value) (smaller than 0.05) so there was a significant relationship between the LBW variable and the incidence of One stunting of the causes of stunting in LBW children is influenced by socio-economic factors, such as education level, income, and number of household members which causes chronic nutritional problems, in the short term is disruption of brain development, intelligence, physical growth, and metabolic disorders in the body.

Verbal and non-verbal skills in early childhood: dimensionality, developmental trajectories, and gender differences.

This study examines the dimensionality of and relationships between two subscales from the British Ability Scales - Third Edition, measuring verbal (expressive vocabulary) and non-verbal (reasoning) cognitive skills for toddlers (age three) and preschoolers (age five), in a Norwegian context across genders. Descriptive statistics revealed item selection criteria that included specific items within each subscale. Subsequently, Confirmatory Factor Analysis established the subscales' dimensionality (Naming Vocabulary and Picture Similarities; N = 1094) and confirmed measurement invariance across genders. Further, the relationships between the verbal and non-verbal factors were investigated using correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. The findings revealed that the verbal factor at age three strongly predicted the verbal factor at age five and significantly influenced the non-verbal factor at age five. The non-verbal factor at age three exhibited a moderate predictive relationship with the non-verbal factor at age five, and did not significantly predict the verbal factor at age five. In terms of gender differences, girls showed higher scores on the verbal factor at age three, and a stronger correlation between the non-verbal factor at age three and the verbal factor at age five. In summary, this research provides valuable insights into cognitive skill measurement and development in a Norwegian context and highlights possible variations across gender. The study's findings, limitations, and implications are discussed.

Modelling the Count of Diphtheria in West Java in 2022 using Geographically Weighted Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression

The number of death cases caused by infectious diseases, that is to say diphtheria, especially in West Java so that it is categorized as an Extraordinary Event (KLB) generally attacks from the age of toddlers to the elderly. To model diphtheria cases in West Java in 2022 containing over dispersion using Geographically Weighted Zero-Inflated Poisson Regression (GWZIPR). Parameter estimation uses Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm with spatial weight using Adaptive Gaussian Kernel. The resulting models include a Poisson state model that shows the chance of diphtheria cases occurring with relevant factors of the percentage within the population who apply Hygienic and Healthful Lifestyle (PHBS), who have been vaccinated against DPT-HB3, the number of health workers at Puskesmas, and the percentage of active posyandu and a Zero state model that shows the chance of no diphtheria cases occurring with relevant factors of the percentage who have been vaccinated against DPT-HB3, the number of health workers at Puskesmas, and the percentage of active posyandu.

AETIOLOGICAL FACTORS OF GRADE-III PROTEIN-CALORIE MALNUTRITION AMONG ADMITTED CHILDREN IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Background: Aetiological factors of Protein-Calorie-Malnutrition (PCM) in underdeveloped countries are an established fact. An increase in number of children with grade-III PCM secondary to myriad of reasons has been noted recently. This study aimed to recognize the aetiological factors of grade-III PCM among admitted patients of grade-III PCM in Ayub teaching hospital Abbottabad. Methods: Severe acutely malnourished (SAM) children 6?60 months of age were selected following non probability random sampling technique. The chosen patients were selected according to WHO criteria of PCM grade-III. Primary data was collected from patients admitted to inpatient facility, on a questionnaire from patients whose anthropometric measurements fell under the criteria of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) by WHO during their hospital stay. Results: Higher number of SAM children was due to reversible aetiological factors like inaccessible food, inadequate breast-feeding and weaning practices, and improper food choices for weaning, illiteracy, ignorance, poor sanitation and large family sizes that led to SAM. From 100 patients (52 males), primary malnutrition was the most common cause for grade -III PCM present in 45 patients (23 females). Conclusion: Primary malnutrition was the main aetiological factor for grade-III PCM, more common among females, perhaps due to cultural issues in our region. It was also the main contributing cause in the toddler age group. Pak J Physiol 2023;19(4):39–41