Is child undernutrition associated with antenatal care attendance in Madhya Pradesh, India?
Aparna G Shyam1, Nigel J Fuller1, Pankaj B Shah2
1Department of Public Health, Masters in Public Health Programme, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Insights
Antenatal care visits did not impact child undernutrition in Madhya Pradesh. Factors like child age, low birth weight, and maternal nutrition significantly increased undernutrition risk.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Maternal Health
Background:
- Child undernutrition remains a significant public health concern in India.
- Research on the association between antenatal care (ANC) and child undernutrition in Madhya Pradesh is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between ANC attendance and the body weight status of children under five years in Madhya Pradesh.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study utilized data from India's National Family Health Survey (2005-2006).
- Child undernutrition was assessed using weight-for-age indicators.
- Logistic regression analysis was employed to determine associations between ANC and weight-for-age.
Main Results:
- Over half (55.1%) of the children were underweight, indicating high prevalence.
- Inadequate ANC attendance was observed, with only 36.8% of women attending four or more visits.
- No association was found between ANC attendance and child body weight status. However, increased child age, belonging to Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), or Other Backward Castes (OBC), and low birth weight (<2.5 kg) were associated with higher odds of being underweight. Maternal normal or overweight BMI was associated with lower odds of underweight children.
Conclusions:
- Antenatal care attendance was not significantly associated with child undernutrition in this population.
- Factors such as advanced child age, low birth weight, poor maternal nutritional status, and belonging to disadvantaged caste groups (SC, ST, OBC) are significant risk factors for child undernutrition.
Context:
There is a paucity of research investigating the association between antenatal care (ANC) attendance and child undernutrition in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Aim:
To determine whether body weight status in children under the age of 5 years is associated with ANC attendance in Madhya Pradesh.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was carried out using data from India's National Family Health Survey (2005-2006). Bodyweight status (an indicator of undernutrition) was determined using weight-for-age. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to estimate prevalence and obtain adjusted odds ratios (AOR) to investigate associations between ANC indicators and weight-for-age.
Results:
Majority of children were underweight (55.1%). ANC attendance was inadequate, with only 36.8% of women having four or more visits. None of the ANC indicators were associated with body weight status. Increased child age especially an age of 2 years (AOR 2.29; 1.66-3.15), belonging to a scheduled tribe [ST] (AOR 2.36; CI 1.64-3.39), scheduled caste [SC] (AOR 1.75; CI 1.25-2.45) or other backward caste [OBC] (AOR 1.43; CI 1.08-1.89) were associated with being underweight; a birth weight of ≥2.5 kg was associated with lower relative odds of being underweight (AOR 0.43; CI 0.29-0.64). Mothers who had a normal BMI (AOR 0.66; CI 0.53-0.82) or were overweight (AOR 0.42; CI 0.25-0.69) were less likely to have underweight children.
Conclusions:
ANC attendance was not associated with body weight status. Increased child age, low birth weight, poor maternal nutrition status and belonging to SCs, STs or OBCs increased the odds of child undernutrition.
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