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Assessment of nutritional status in Indian preschool children using WHO 2006 Growth Standards
Prema Ramachandran1, Hema S Gopalan
1Nutrition Foundation of India, New Delhi, India. premaramachandran@gmail.com
Insights
Indian children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Growth Monitoring
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood undernutrition remains a significant public health concern in India.
- Growth patterns in Indian children often deviate from international standards.
- Assessing undernutrition using multiple indices is crucial for accurate evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare Indian children's growth (weight-for-age, height-for-age, BMI-for-age) with WHO 2006 standards.
- Analyze undernutrition rates in children aged 0-59 months using these indices.
- Explore the implications of discrepancies in undernutrition assessment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the National Family Health Survey-3 database for growth data.
- Computed growth curves using LMS software for height, weight, and BMI.
- Compared Indian growth data against WHO 2006 standards to determine undernutrition trends.
Main Results:
- No increase in underweight or stunting in the first three months of life.
- Progressive rise in underweight and stunting rates observed between 3-23 months.
- Highest rates of low BMI-for-age and wasting occurred at birth.
Conclusions:
- Stunting reflects cumulative chronic energy deficiency impacting linear growth and is irreversible.
- Low BMI-for-age indicates current energy deficit.
- Early detection of energy deficits via BMI-for-age and prompt interventions can prevent stunting.
Background & Objectives:
This study attempts to compare the pattern of growth of Indian children as assessed by weight for age, height for age and BMI for age with the WHO standards for growth (2006) and to explore the implications of differences in undernutrition rates in the 0-59 months of age group as assessed by these three indices.
Methods:
From the National Family Health Survey-3 database, growth curves for height, weight and BMI for age in Indian preschool children were computed using LMS software and compared with the WHO (2006) standards. Using the WHO (2006) standards, trends in prevalence of undernutrition as assessed by height, weight and BMI for age in the 0-59 month age group were computed.
Results:
During the first three months there was no increase in underweight and stunting rates. There was progressive increase in underweight and stunting rates between 3-23 months of age. Low BMI for age and wasting rates were highest at birth.
Interpretation & Conclusions:
Poor growth is an adaptation to chronic low energy intake and stunting is a measure of cumulative impact of chronic energy deficiency on linear growth. It is important to prevent stunting because it is not readily reversible. Low BMI is an indictor of current energy deficit. Early detection of energy deficit using BMI for age and expeditious interventions to correct the deficit might be effective in prevention of stunting.
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