title: Undernutrition among infants less than 6 months of age: an underestimated public health problem in India.
abstract: In India most childhood nutrition recommendations and interventions are still not focused on infants under 6 months. Secondary data analyses of National Family Health Survey-3 data from India were analysed to compare the prevalence of wasting, stunting and underweight in infants less than 6 months and 6-59 months. Our results revealed that wasting was higher (31%) in infants less than 6 months (P < 0.05) as compared with children between 6 and 59 months. Thirteen per cent of infants less than 6 months had severe wasting, 30% were underweight and 20% were stunted. Most infants (69%) were exclusively breastfed (EB) for the first 2 months, but exclusive breastfeeding dropped to 50% at 2-3 months and to 27% at 4-5 months. There was no statistically significant difference in wasting and stunting in the EB and not exclusively breastfed (NEB) groups. Significantly fewer EB infants were underweight (28%) compared with NEB infants (31%) (P = 0.030). However, among EB children, 29% had wasting and 21% were stunted. Eleven per cent of EB infants were severely underweight, 13% were severely wasted and 9% were severely stunted. Diarrhoea was significantly lower among EB infants compared with NEB infants (P < 0.05). We conclude that infants less than 6 months of age are vulnerable to suffer from acute severe malnutrition irrespective of their breastfeeding status and need to be seriously considered for inclusion in national guidelines for early detection and management of undernutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Hamdard University, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Ashok K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Patwari
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beard
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001942:Breast Feeding; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology; D019282:Wasting Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: breastfeeding; child nutrition; stunting; undernutrition; underweight; wasting
references.citation: Arch Dis Child. 2011 Nov;96(11):1008-13
references.pmid: 21288999
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2007 Jan;10(1):79-87
references.pmid: 17212846
references.citation: Int Breastfeed J. 2006 Dec 22;1:29
references.pmid: 17187669
references.citation: Indian Pediatr. 2010 Aug;47(8):661-5
references.pmid: 20972283
references.citation: Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2010 Apr;49(4):343-9
references.pmid: 19745095
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2006 Oct;9(7):942-7
references.pmid: 17010261
references.citation: Bull World Health Organ. 2011 Apr 1;89(4):250-1
references.pmid: 21479088
references.citation: Pediatrics. 2010 Mar;125(3):e473-80
references.pmid: 20156903
references.citation: Lancet. 2008 Jan 19;371(9608):243-60
references.pmid: 18207566
references.citation: Lancet. 2006 Nov 25;368(9550):1868-9
references.pmid: 17126715