European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Magnitude of malnutrition problem among children under 5 years is high throughout India. Inadequate feeding practices, in combination with other factors such as infection, may account for 1/3 of all malnutrition cases. On other hand, low MUAC (<11.5cm) is not only suggestive of severe wasting or severe acute malnutrition but also indicative of morbidity and risk of mortality. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of malnutrition and its associated factors among 24 to 60 months aged children in urban field practice area of a medical college in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. Methods: This community based cross-sectional study was carried out among 282 children aged 24 to 60 months in UHTC area of a medical college in Tirupati city. Nutritional status was determined using MUAC. Water, sanitation and hygiene practices; child feeding practices and other associated factors were noted in the questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS 26 version. Results: The total prevalence of malnutrition was 13.1%, of which mild to moderate malnutrition and severe malnutrition were 11.7% and 1.4% respectively. About 19% of the children were malnourished who were not utilizing anganwadi services and there was a significant association found between utilization of anganwadi services and malnutrition (p=0.05).Conclusion: Although prevalence of malnutrition was low compared to other studies, this should be addressed through appropriate community based strategies for halting long term sequel of malnutrition among pre-school children