title: Malnutrition among under-five children in India and strategies for control.
abstract: Malnutrition among under-five children is an important concern for the health authorities in India. The aim of the present review was to assess the burden of under-nutrition and over-nutrition, its determinants and strategies required to tackle malnutrition among under-five children in India. Recent data were collected from Google search, Medline, and others. The information retrieved was reviewed and analyzed for discrepancies. Existing evidence shows that the prevalence of under-nutrition among under-five children was high and varied widely (under-weight: 39-75%, stunting: 15.4-74%, wasting: 10.6-42.3%) depending on the assessment methodology adopted. Studies on assessment of over-nutrition status among under-five children were limited. Distribution of various types of risk factors and its influence on nutrition status of children in a given set up should be analyzed for planning the control measures. Strengthening public health interventions for mild malnutrition cases and vulnerable groups, effective implementation and evaluation of the strategies at regional level, research on overweight, obesity and its etiological factors and steps for improving socioeconomic development are the prerequisites for tackling malnutrition among under-five children in India.
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: Swaroop Kumar
authors: SK
authors: Sahu
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: S Ganesh
authors: SG
authors: Kumar
authors: Department of Pediatrics, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: B Vishnu
authors: BV
authors: Bhat
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: K C
authors: KC
authors: Premarajan
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: Sonali
authors: S
authors: Sarkar
authors: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, JIPMER, Puducherry, India.
authors: Gautam
authors: G
authors: Roy
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors: Nitin
authors: N
authors: Joseph
keywords: India; Malnutrition; strategies; under-five children