Prevalence of Malnourish Children among Malnourish Mothers in Tertiary Teaching Hospital Larkana, Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To assess the prevalence of malnourished children among malnourish mothers in tertiary teaching hospital Larkana, Pakistan. 

Study Design: Cross-sectional study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Pediatric Medicine department, Chandka Medical College / SMBBMU Larkana from 15.6.2018 to 31.6.2020.

Materials and Methods: After taken permission from the ethical review committee of CMC Children Hospital/ SMBBMU Larkana; patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) of a child, as well as the mother, was measured, Child with MUAC <11.5cm and the Mother with MUAC <21 cm was labeled Malnourished. All the collected data were entered into the proforma attached at the end.

Results: Mean ± SD of the age of children and mothers were 16.20 ±7.96 with C.I (15.02- ---17.37) months and 27.57 ±4.83 with C.I (26.86----28.28) years respectively. 179 children 94 (52.5%) were male and 84 (47.5%) were female. Most of the women were found to be multigravida i.e. 154 (86%) and 25 (14%) had primigravida. The frequency of malnourished children among malnourished mothers was 150 (84%). 3 

Conclusion: It is to be inferred that the frequency of maternal and child under-nutrition is high in both communities even though more seemed in rural areas. Efforts are needed to reduce the vicious cycle of undernutrition in children and mothers should focus on tending to hazard factors especially to each community. Males were more prone to contrasted with females.