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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
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Magnitude and Correlates of Growth Faltering among Under-five Children in a Rural Area of West Bengal: A Longitudinal

Anisha Sarkar1, Dilip Kumar Das2, Niladri Banerjee3

  • 1Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Burdwan Medical College, Bardhaman, West Bengal, India.

Indian Journal of Public Health
|November 17, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Growth faltering in children under five is a significant issue in rural West Bengal, affecting over half of those studied. Key risk factors include paternal unemployment and early maternal marriage, highlighting the need for targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Public Health
  • Child Development Studies
  • Nutritional Epidemiology

Background:

  • Growth faltering in children is a critical global health challenge requiring early detection for effective interventions.
  • Understanding the prevalence and contributing factors of growth faltering is essential for public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the extent of growth faltering in under-five children in rural West Bengal.
  • To identify sociodemographic, feeding, and morbidity-related factors associated with growth faltering.

Main Methods:

  • A 12-month longitudinal community-based study involving 112 children aged 0-47 months in West Bengal.
  • Data collected through interviews and anthropometric measurements at 2-month intervals.
  • Statistical analysis using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression.

Main Results:

  • The incidence of growth faltering was 56.3 per 100 children, with a rate of 8.9 episodes per 100 child-months.
  • Significant predictors included paternal unemployment (aOR=35.3), having siblings (aOR=11.4), and maternal age at marriage <18 years (aOR=0.3).
  • Growth faltering was strongly linked to increased morbidity (P<0.001) and inadequate age-appropriate feeding (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Growth faltering is highly prevalent in the studied rural West Bengal population.
  • Inappropriate feeding practices and morbidity episodes are significantly associated with growth faltering.
  • Targeting identified high-risk groups and factors is crucial for addressing child growth faltering.
Abstract

Keywords:
Age-appropriate feedingIndiaPurba Bardhamangrowth falteringunder-five children

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