Study of protein energy malnutrition cases in slum areas of Rishikesh

Objective: To see the prevalence of malnutrition and its severity. Setting & Design: A cross-sectional survey of the nutritional status at HIHT, Rishikesh Branch. Participants: All the patients between the age group of 6 months-6 years who attended pediatrics OPD were included in this study. Results: In the present study 27.38 % children were under weight for their age. Nearly 52% cases were stunted indicating chronic malnutrition, while 17.84% showed wasting therefore a significant number of children failed to gain appropriate weight and height for their age when compared to standard measurements. However, most of them gained weight appropriate for their own height, which itself was not optimum. In children 6 months-6 years 28.48% had malnutrition according to mid upper arm circumference. Conclusion: It was recognized that wide spread malnutrition prevalent among the poor socio-economic groups of our population is largely attributed to economic factor. However it cannot be denied that social and cultural factors also contribute