Promotion of

Food Science, Nutrition and Dietetics

under the auspices of

Department of Home and Health Sciences

ABSTRACT

This thesis presents the study on nutritional status of children less than five year of age.

Acute malnutrition is still a major problem in developing countries due to incidence of infections in pre-school children. The purpose of the study was to find out nutritional status less than 5 years of children in order to access different factors associated with malnutrition and to evaluate the effects of routine check-ups on their nutritional status.

Total 100 cases under five year of children of both sexes were measured in Growth Monitoring Room of the Wali Bhai Rajputana Hospital Hyderabad, Sindh. All protocols of measuring were observed. The information regarding their sex, clinical condition and dietary habits etc. were collected in a Performa through an interview.

The study showed that there were 50 males and 50 females, 28 children came for growth monitoring and 72 for different clinical illness. Out of 72 children 44 were mildly malnourished, 27 moderately and 11 were severely malnourished. It was noted that incidence of malnutrition was high in children suffering from repeated illness, children from rural areas, belong to low socio-economic class or largely family size, having delayed feeding of solid foods, incomplete vaccination, lack of safe water, lack of mothers education and use of bottle feeding.