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Undernutrition & risk of infections in preschool children

Prema Ramachandran1, Hema S Gopalan

  • 1Nutrition Foundation of India, New Delhi, India. premaramachandran@gmail.com

The Indian Journal of Medical Research
|January 22, 2010
PubMed

Insights

In Indian preschool children, low Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and wasting are more consistently linked to higher infection risk than stunting or underweight. Early intervention for energy deficits is crucial for reducing illness and supporting healthy growth.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Infectious Disease Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Undernutrition in preschool children is linked to immune suppression and increased infection risk, creating a detrimental cycle.
  • In India, a significant proportion of children are underweight or stunted, with wasting also being a concern.
  • Existing indicators like underweight may not fully capture the complex relationship between undernutrition and infection morbidity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify which anthropometric index of undernutrition best predicts infection-related morbidity in Indian preschool children.
  • To compare the relative risk (RR) of infection morbidity across different indicators: weight-for-age, height-for-age, wasting, BMI-for-age, and combined wasting/stunting with low BMI.
  • To inform public health strategies for addressing undernutrition and infection in young children.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 56,438 preschool children from the National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) in India.
  • Calculated the relative risk (RR) of morbidity due to infections for children categorized by various undernutrition indices based on WHO 2006 standards.
  • Included indicators such as stunting, underweight, low BMI-for-age, wasting, and a composite index of wasting and stunting with low BMI.

Main Results:

  • Children with low Body Mass Index (BMI) for age and wasting exhibited a higher and more consistent relative risk of infection morbidity compared to those who were stunted or underweight.
  • The highest relative risk of infection morbidity was observed in the subgroup of children experiencing both stunting and wasting.
  • These findings highlight the significant association between indicators of acute energy deficit and infection susceptibility.

Conclusions:

  • In Indian preschool children, low BMI-for-age and wasting are more reliable indicators of infection risk than traditional measures like weight-for-age and height-for-age.
  • Low BMI-for-age and wasting signify current energy deficits, suggesting that prompt detection and management can mitigate infection risk.
  • Addressing these specific nutritional deficits is vital for improving child health outcomes and ensuring continued healthy growth trajectories.
Abstract

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