Objectives: To determine the nutritional status of under-5 tribal children. Design: Community-based cross-sectional observational study. Setting: Three tribal villages of the Chanchal II block of the Maldah district in West Bengal. Subjects and Methods: In 3 tribal villages, 188 children under 5 years of age were examined to detect nutritional deficiency disorders. By anthropometric measurement, nutritional grading of them was determined. Interviews of mothers provided breast-feeding and weaning practices. Results: 63.83% of study subjects were suffering from different grades of malnutrition. Prevalence of anaemia and angular stomatitis was 45.74% and 19.12%, respectively, among them.
International Institute for Population Sciences. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2), India, 1998-99. Deonar, Mumbai, India: International Institute for Population Sciences; 2001:263-271.
2.
State Bureau of Intelligence. Health on the March West Bengal 2000-01. Bengal, India: Government of West Bengal; 2002:245.
3.
World Health Organization. Technical Report Service No. 405. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 1968.
4.
Nutrition Sub-Committee of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics. Report of the convener. Indian Pediatr. 1972;9:360.
5.
ChakrabortySGuptaSBChaturvediBChakrabortySK. A Study of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) in children (0-6 years) in a rural population of Jhansi district (UP). Indian J Community Medicine. 2006;31:291-292.
6.
TripathiMSSharmaV. Assessment of nutritional status of preschoolers in slum areas of Udaipur city. Indian J Public Health. 2006;50:33-34.
7.
ChirmulayDNisalR. Nutritional status of tribal under-5 children in Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra in relation to weaning/feeding practices. Indian J Pediatr. 1993;30:215-222.
8.
HaiderRIslamAKabirIHabteD. Early complementary feeding is associated with low nutritional status of young infants recovering from diarrhea. J Trop Paediatr. 1996;42:170-172.
9.
SahuTSahaniNCPatnaikL. Childhood anaemia—a study in tribal area of Mohana block in Orissa. Indian J Community Medicine. 2007;32:43-45.
