Anthropometric Failure and its Associated Factors Among Tribal Preschool Children of West Bengal, India

Abstract

Background
Children are at a unique transitional stage of physical and psychological development. The most common problem among preschool children in India is undernutrition. Therefore, the present study assesses the prevalence of undernutrition using the composite index of anthropometric failure (CIAF) and its association with socio-demographic variables among tribal preschool children in West Bengal, India.
Methods
The present study was conducted among 848 tribal preschool children (boys 430 and girls 418) aged 12-71 months from two districts (Jhargram and Paschim Medinipur) in West Bengal, India. World Health Organization (WHO) standard reference values (2006) were used to calculate Z-scores, and a standard cut-off value (≤2 SD) was used to assess the undernutrition. An odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals was used to assess the risk of developing anthropometric failure (AF).
Results
Overall, CIAF among studied children is 59%. The prevalence of CIAF with a significant association was observed in the lower age group (χ2=76.25; p<0.001), children who suffered any illness in the last three months (χ2=6.43; p<0.05), low birth weight children (χ2=7.57; p<0.01), and breastfeeding children (χ2=38.61; p<0.001). In the case of the age group, 12-23 months children show more than two times the risk of single AF (OR=2.78; 95% CI: 1.38-5.60), more than five times the risk of dual AF (OR=5.88; 95% CI: 2.27-15.29) and more than eleven times the risk of triple AF (OR=11.86; 95% CI: 4.01-35.08) compared to others.
Conclusion
Our results suggest that the lower age group, children who suffered any illness in the last three months, low birth weight, and breast-feeding children show a higher significant risk for CIAF. Also, the present study concluded that children increased their risk with increasing types of anthropometric failure (from single to multiple AF).