A BSTRACT Background: Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices ensure that child malnutrition is prevented. Through social protection and nutrition-related education, food security and appropriate nutrient intake can be ensured. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 196 children enrolled in Anganwadis of Anekal Taluk. Height, weight and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurements were taken, and the parent was administered the dietary diversity and meal frequency questionnaire. Results: Mean age of the children was 2.97 years ± 0.98. The mean birth weight of the children was 2.51 kg ± 0.51. Most (25%) of the households belonged to the poorest wealth quintile category. Of the study population, 20.4% were severely underweight, 18.9% had severe stunting, and 6.6 had severe acute malnutrition (SAM) as per Weight-for-Height Z-scores. Overall, 80% of the children had at least one form of malnutrition. Most children met the minimum meal frequency (MMF) criteria (91.8%), and a majority of them (82.7%) had a minimum dietary diversity (MDD). Children not consuming the MDD are at risk for stunting, with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of 2.89 (1.22-6.86). Additionally, females are at risk for wasting, with an AOR of 2.52 (1.26-5.02). Female gender was associated with risk for any form of malnutrition, AOR 2.65 (1.23-5.73). Age more than 2 years was significantly associated with underweight and wasting, depicting the need for continued optimal infant and child feeding practices in the community even after 2 years. Conclusion: Post-coronavirus disease (post-COVID) pandemic, under-5 malnutrition continues to be highly prevalent despite social protection. Multifactorial causation of malnutrition should be understood, and social determinants of health should be addressed.
Gnanaselvam et al. (Sun,) studied this question.