Nutritional assessment of children (6 year to 12 year) of migrants from Barpeta District, Assam Inhabiting Balu Adda Malin Basti, Lucknow Sah Pooja1,*, Singh Udai Pratap2,** 1Research Scholar, Department of Anthropology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India 2Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India *(Corresponding author) email id: sahpooja1anthropology@gmail.com
**drudaipratapsingh64@gmail.com
Online published on 18 August, 2023. Abstract The study was aimed to assess the dietary and growth pattern of the children of migrant Assamese population residing at, Zone 1, Balu Adda Malin Basti, Raja Ram Mohan Rai Ward in Lucknow. This study was conducted on 50 households (Out of 100) selected on the basis of random sampling. Total population of the Basti consists of 240 individuals out of whom there are 73 adult males, 67 adult females and 100 children (51 boys + 49 girls). Children belonging to the age group 6 to 12 years old were included in the study. Out of the 100 children, 84 were included in the study based on the age criteria. For the purpose of the study meal pattern, timing of meal, food habits, calorie intake and growth measurements, were taken into consideration. Two Anthropometric measurements were taken to assess the nutritional status- Height and Weight. Based on the data, Daily Calorie Intake, Height-for-Age to know the percentage of stunted children, Weight-for-Age to know the percentage of underweight children and Body Mass Index to know the percentage of obese, overweight, normal, underweight or severely underweight children were calculated. Also, it should be mentioned here that these growth charts were used so that scope for future studies could be possible. According to the W.H.O. growth charts (z-score). The findings were assessed according to W.H.O. growth charts. Growth indicators were used to assess growth considering a child's age and measurements together (WHO, 2007). They are as follows: 1. HEIGHT/LENGTH-FOR-AGE for concluding whether children are stunted (moderate or severe) for their age. 2. WEIGHT-FOR-AGE for concluding whether children are underweight (moderate or severe) for their age. 3. BMI (body mass index)-FOR-AGE for concluding whether children are obese, overweight, normal, underweight or severely underweight for their age. The result displayed that of all the 84 children, 34.52% children are moderately stunted whereas only 4.76% children are severely stunted; Comparison of weight-for-age using growth charts can only be performed up to age 10 since the WHO age-based weight curves (z-score) are only performed up to that age and on the basis of data collected of 60 children, 51.66% children are moderately underweight while 13.33% children are severely underweight; As per their BMI for Age, according to W.H.O. growth chart (z-score), 45.23% children are moderately underweight while 17.85% children are severely underweight. According to the standards set by Indian Association of Paediatrics The children of Balu Adda Malin Basti, 28.57 % children are mildly malnourished, 34.52% are moderately malnourished, 9.52% children are severely malnourished and 1.19% children are very severely malnourished. Based on our analysis it has been proved that the children of the Balu Adda Malin Basti had poorer nutritional and health status than their counterparts. It was observed that although their diet includes a range of food items, it was not a balanced diet and definitely had low nutritional value. Fruits are a luxury item for them and are seldom included in their diet. Due to poor economic conditions a proper 3 course meal diet is unaffordable. Also, the environment in which a child's upbringing is done also plays a crucial role in overall health. It has been observed that the children of the Basti life a highly active life and thus the amount of calorie they intake per day is not sufficient. Despite of it, it is marvelous to witness highly aggressive behaviour in children of both sexes. As for the matter of growth pattern of boys and girls, it was inferred from graphs 3, 4 and 5 that even though these differences occur at various age groups but they are not that drastic. Top Keywords Anthropometry, Malnutrition, Marginalised population, Migratory population, Nutritional status. Top |