Prevalence and Risk Factors of Undernutrition among Children Less than 2 Years in Urban Slums of Pune, Maharashtra, India

Undernutrition and its risk factors among children aged 0-23 months in urban slums of Pune was studied. Maternal and child characteristics, household food security and anthropometric measurements of 400 children were recorded. Results identified prevalence of stunting to be 34%, wasting 15.3% and underweight 21.8%. Odds of stunting was higher among children 7 to 12 months of age (AOR=7.064, 95% CI: 1.908-26.150). Odds of wasting was higher among children 7 to 12 months (AOR=3.144, 95% CI: 1.631-6.060), age < 6 months (AOR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.259-5.149) and not feeding colostrum (AOR=2.806, 95% CI=1.059 -7.478). Birth weight < 2500gm increased the risk of all three manifests of undernutrition. Children who were not immunised or received partial immunization had 1.5 times greater risk of being underweight (AOR=1.933, 95% CI: 1.118-3.342). Age specific interventions to address specific risk factors is a priority to address this public health issue.