Author(s)

Esha Chainani

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr. D Y Patil Hospital and Research Centre, Navi Mumbai, India.

Background: There is a dearth of information regarding trends of malnutrition and weight status in children from rapidly developing economies like India. Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyze the dynamics of malnutrition in a group of school children from India, and then provide interventions for the children that have severe acute malnutrition. Methods: Children that were found to lie between −3 to −4 SD of parameters of BMI, height for age and weight for age were labeled as SAM. Children that were screened for wasting and fell between −2 to −4 SD were also included under the label of SAM. All participants were also given a prototype 1500-calorie diet to follow for the entire duration and 6 weekly sessions were taken for the parents on various topics on nutrition. Results: Quantitative analysis showed a great improvement in weights and heights of severely malnourished children. The average increase in weight of all children that participated in the study was 9.09% and the average increase in height was 1.39%. The weekly sessions given to the parents on various nutrition topics could be the cause of high compliance to the diet given to the children. Conclusion: Malnutrition is still a very big problem in developing countries like India. Basic interventions like an improvement in diet, education about micronutrients and balanced diet, and food-based interventions in severe malnutrition can lead to a great improvement in the health and development status of children.

Malnutrition, Children, Sam, India, Nutrition

Chainani, E. (2018) Analysis and Intervention of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children at an Urban Public School in Mumbai, India. Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 8, 131-141. doi: 10.4236/ojpm.2018.84013.