Syed Sakhawat Ali, Farkhanda Kokab.
Prevalence of Malnutrition in the children 5 to 10 years of age in district Layyah-Punjab.
Med Channel Jan ;12(3):11-6.

OBJECTIVES: To find out the extent of malnutrition in children 5- 10 years of age DESIGN: An epidemiological survey: Specifically Cross sectional approach or point–in–time. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: The study was carried out in the 2 Town Committees (T.Cs) and 10 Union Councils (U.Cs) of the District Layyah. The period of study was three months from Feb. 01, 2005 to April 30, 2005. SUBJECTS/ METHODS: A representative systematic random sample of 684 children 5-10 years of age was obtained. Weight versus age, height versus age, triceps skin fold thickness and clinical examination were used as parameters for the assessment of the nutritional status. RESULTS: There were 312(45.62%) males and 372(54.38%) female children 5-10 years of age in the study population. General overall picture indicated that 227(33.2%) children were normal and 409(59. 8%) under weight and 48(7%) over weight [457(66.8%) were suffering from malnutrition]. Out of The malnourished children 144(35.3%) had 1st degree, 156(38.1%) had 2nd degree, 77(18.8%) had 3rd degree and 32(7.8%) had 4th degree malnutrition respectively. CONCLUSION: The current study has revealed that malnutrition in children 5-10 years of age is not the result of a single factor; there are multiple factors, which play an important role in determining their nutritional status. These include maternal education, number of children in the family, and socio-economic status of the family.

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