Nutritional Status and Determinants of Undernutrition among Under-Five Children in Migrant Populations of Ahmedabad, India: A Community based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: India is one of the largest contributors of child undernutrition globally. A complex relationship exists between migration and undernutrition. Objectives: 1. To assess the nutritional status of under 5 migrant children in Ahmedabad. 2. To find out the determinants of undernutrition among migrant children. Method: A crosssectional study was conducted among 668 children (6-59 months) of migrant workers in 171 identified migrant settlements of Ahmedabad. Sampling was done proportionate to population size (PPS) of under 5 migrant children in 7 purposively selected Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) of Ahmedabad. Primary data included anthropometric measurements of children & interviews of primary caregivers. Predictors of undernutrition were determined using logistic regression models. Results: The overall prevalence of undernutrition among under 5 migrant children was found to be 71.4%. The study found 300 (44.9%) participants to be underweight while stunting and wasting was present among 283 (42.4%) and 183 (27.4%) participants respectively. Food insecurity was found to be main predictor of wasting (AOR: 2.144, p<0.001) and being underweight (AOR: 2.386, p<0.001) while increased frequency of illness per year was major predictor for stunting (AOR: 1.745, p=0.003). Other important determinants were found to be age, birth weight, birth order, mother's working status, mother's education, socioeconomic status, type of migration, number of migrations, immunization, age-appropriate feeding and registration in anganwadi. Conclusion: Undernutrition among under 5 children was remarkably high among the migrant population. Multiple factors affect nutritional status of children with increase in frequency of illness and food insecurity being major predictors of undernutrition.