Relationship between maternal nutritional status and infants growth pattern in Kolkata, west Bengal, India

To determine the relationship between maternal nutritional status and infant growth pattern, a cross sectional study was conducted in a postnatal clinic of government general hospital of south Kolkata, West Bengal, India. A total of 97 mother and their children were measured following standard techniques. Nutritional status of mothers and children’s were assessed based on WHO recommended body mass index (BMI) guidelines, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) and z-score methods, respectively. The result shows that BMI is the most important predictive variable of WAZ, LAZ and WLZ. Maternal BMI explained for 34.9%, 10.2% and 15.6% variation of WAZ, LAZ, and WLZ. When maternal MUAC enter into the model, further MUAC explained by 4.5% and 5.3% of variation for WAZ and WLZ score. In conclusion, interventions by improving maternal nutritional status could have a significant role in the prevention of childhood malnutrition.