• Dr. Prashant Joshi

Malnutrition is the prominent nutritional problem in the developing countries like India. The most vulnerable groups are children under five years, adolescent girls and pregnant and lactating mothers. Malnutrition continues to be a cause and consequence of disease and disability in the children who survive. The community based cross sectional study conducted on 200 preschool children to investigate the nutritional status of children aged between 3-5 years of rural areas of Anjar Taluka of Kachchh district, Gujarat. The study was conducted on 200 children among which 76 were male & 124 were female. Analyzing anthropometric data found revealed that the mean height, weight and MUAC of males were 88.56 cm, 12.70 kg and 14.44 cm respectively while 92.11 cm, 12.42 kg and 14.51 cm respectively in case of female. Among the children 57% were under weight, 60% were stunted and 24.5% were found wasted. According to MUAC 35% children were normal and 12.5% children were severely malnourished in Anjar Taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat. Such malnutrition results in increased susceptibility to infections, reduced work productivity, limited school performance, and slowed cognitive development and growth over the lifetime. This nutrition survey may establish baseline nutritional data and/or ascertain the overall nutritional status of a population. The factors influencing that nutritional status of preschool children are age, sex, weight, height, anemic status, vaccination, educational qualification of parents, family income, family size, living status etc. Thus some concrete steps must be taken to secure the future of India.

Preschool Children, Underweight, Malnutrition

"A Study on the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children in Anjar Taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no.184-189, June 2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907V29.pdf

"A Study on the Nutritional Status of Preschool Children in Anjar Taluka of Kutch district, Gujarat", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 6, page no. pp184-189, June 2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1907V29.pdf