NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT OF RURAL CHILDREN (6–12 YEARS) OF NORTH BIHAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Objective: Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children and adolescent throughout the world. The present study was undertaken to assess the nutritional status in terms of the prevalence of stunting and thinness among rural children of North Bihar. Methods: The present community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1263 rural children (674 male and 589 female) with the age group of 6–12 years, during the period from January 2018 to March 2018. Age was recorded in completed year; height and weight were measured in centimeter and kilogram, respectively. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using standard equation. Results: The nutritional status in terms of the prevalence of stunting and thinness was found to be 18.2% and 23.8%, respectively, among studied children. Stunting was significantly higher among girls (23.1%) in comparison to boys (13.9%). BMI was significantly associated with age, socioeconomic status and mother’s literacy. Conclusions: Anthropometric assessment indicates that the malnutrition is still a major problem among children (6–12 years) of North Bihar. The major factors identified for this problem is illiteracy of mother and socioeconomic status of the family.