Undernutrition: the role of the mothers and others in childcare

Authors

  • Manohar Bhatia Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
  • Ginisha Gupta Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh
  • Ranjana Tiwari Department of Community Medicine, G. R. Medical College, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20151061

Keywords:

Undernutrition, Child care, Good care practices

Abstract

Background:India has the largest burden of child mortality and undernutrition in the world. More than one-third of the world’s 150 million undernourished children younger than 5 year old live in India. The objective of this study was to assess the role of the mother in child care and its implications on nutrition of the child.  

Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in Gwalior district among 300 mothers who were selected across the district on the basis of nutritional status of their child.  

Results:Only 09% mothers were able to spend >3 hours every day for exclusive care of their under-five child. 37.00% mothers admitted that the elder sibling in the family feeds the child. 55.50% mothers stated that they have to work outside to help in earning livelihood.  

Conclusions:Mother plays the most important role in child up-bringing. Empowering mothers and spreading correct and practical knowledge and awareness about child care practices can help in solving the problem of undernutrition.

References

Gragnolati Michele, Meera Shekar, Monica Das Gupta, Caryn Bredenkamp, Yi Kyong Lee. India’s undernourished children: a call for reform and action. HNP Discussion Paper. Washington DC: The World Bank; August 2005: 9-10.

IIPS. National Family Health Survey, NFHS-3, India. Publications-Reports. Mumbai: IIPS; 2007. Available at: http://rchiips.org/NFHS/report.shtml. Accessed 15 September 2015.

Robert B, Allen LH, Bhutta ZA, Caulfield LE, Onis M, Ezzati M, et al. Maternal and child undernutrition: global and regional exposures and health consequences. Lancet. 2008;371(9608):243-60.

Shailen N, Irving M, Gordon D, Subramanian SV, Smith GD. Poverty, child undernutrition and morbidity: new evidence from India. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;85(3)210-6.

Mittal A, Singh J, Ahluwalia SK. Effect of maternal factors on nutritional status of 1-5 year old children in urban slum population. Indian J Community Med. 2007;32(4):265-7.

Sethuraman K, Lansdown R, Sullian K. Women’s empowerment and domestic violence: the role of sociocultural determinants in maternal and child undernutrition in tribal and rural communities in South India. Food Nutr Bull. 2006;27(2):128-43.

Dunlop JE, Velkoff VA. Women and the economy in India. International program center. The Official Statistics. US: U.S Census Bureau; 1998: 1-7.

Paul M, Charles M. Women‘s time allocation to childcare: determinants and consequences. Austr Econom Papers. 2000;39(1):1-24.

Muthusamy S. Are working mothers in India investing less time in the next generation? Annual Meeting. California, USA: Population of Association of America (PAA); 2006: 1-44.

Leslie J, Lycette M, Buvinic M. Weathering economic crises: the crucial role of women in health. In: Dover E. Bell, Michael M. Rich, eds. Health, Nutrition and Economic Crises. Dover, Mass.: Auburn House Publishing Company; 1988: 307-348.

Engle PL, Menon P. Care and nutrition: concepts and measurements. World Dev. 1999;27(8):1309-38.

Mittal A, Singh J, Ahluwalia SK. Effect of maternal factors on nutritional status of 1-5 years old children in urban slum population. Indian J Community Med. 2007;32(4):1-4.

Sayer LC, Gauthier AH, Furstenberg FF. Educational difference in parents’ time with children: cross national variations. J Marriage Fam. 2004;66(5):1152-69.

Jatrana S. Does maternal employment affect child care arrangement and breastfeeding differently to boys and girls? Evidence from rural north India. Paper presented in the session S57 Women’s Labour: Production & Reproduction of the 23rd IUSSP Conference held in Brazil, 18-24 August 2001. Available at: http://www.iussp.org/Brazil2001/s50/S57_03_Santosh.pdf. Accessed 15 September 2015.

Pierre-Louis June, Sanjur D, Nesheim MC, Bowman DD. Maternal income generating activities, child care and child nutrition in Mali. Food Nutr Bull. 2007;28(1):67-75.

IIPS. National Family Health Survey, NFHS-3, India. Publications-Reports Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai: IIPS; 2007. Available at: http://rchiips.org/NFHS/report.shtml. Accessed 15 September 2015.

Downloads

Published

2017-02-06

How to Cite

Bhatia, M., Gupta, G., & Tiwari, R. (2017). Undernutrition: the role of the mothers and others in childcare. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 2(4), 634–638. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20151061

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles