Aarti Dhar

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The level of malnourishment is high among children whose parents migrate
 
 
 in search of livelihood. Inherent malnourishment in mothers, lack of
 
 
 food and nutrition security, feeding and dietary practices and illnesses
 
 
 are some of the reasons identified for high levels of malnourishment.
 
 
 
 A
 
 
 study ‘Understanding hunger and malnutrition among high migrant
 
 
 communities’ conducted in south Rajasthan by Aajeevika Bureau and
 
 
 EdelGive Foundation has revealed that more than half the children were
 
 
 underweight in those communities where migration was high. Stunting or
 
 
 retarded growth was reported in 53 per cent of the children with 28 per
 
 
 cent of them severely so; 33 per cent are wasted (debilitated growth)
 
 
 with over 9 per cent of them severely so and one-fourth severely
 
 
 underweight. South Rajasthan — broadly Udaipur division — is a semi-arid
 
 
 region with a largely tribal population which owns small land holdings. Small land holdings are unable to help them sustain a livelihood which
 
 
 results in high levels of migration.
 
 
 
 
 Land holdings smal
 
 Each
 
 
 panchayat, where the study was done, had 550-600 migrants. The study
 
 
 was done in four panchayats in one block — two had high levels of
 
 
 migrations and the other two low migration.
 
 
 
 The sample of 884 households, which had less than three children, was picked up from 13 villages.
 
 
 
 A t
 
 
 otal of 695 children under the age of three were weighed and measured
 
 
 as were 607 mothers. The median BMI (body mass index) of mothers was
 
 
 18.1 with 58 per cent having a BMI of less than 18.5. An analysis has
 
 
 suggested inter-generational transfer of under-nutrition. When the
 
 
 mother is under-nourished, children are 1.8 times more likely to have
 
 
 severe malnutrition.
 
 
 
 
 Other factors
 
 
 
 
 Also, less availability
 
 
 of food items, small land holdings resulting in low produce and caring
 
 
 practices caused malnutrition. Roti was the only food item eaten by
 
 
 children daily and more than 60 per cent had access to it. Only 58 per
 
 
 cent were breastfed, and less than one per cent had daliya (porridge)
 
 
 which is supposed to be highly nutritious.
 
 
 
 The study further
 
 
 shows that children of migrating families were less likely to be
 
 
 enrolled at the anganwadi centres where the government provides
 
 
 supplementary food to pre-school children. Importantly, the anganwadi
 
 
 centres were less functional in areas with high migrating population.
 
 
 
 When
 
 
 a mother goes forwork, the primary caretakers are grandparents in 57
 
 
 per cent of the cases, father in just 4 per cent and elder brother in 5
 
 
 per cent.
 
 
 
 This article was originally published in The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/malnourishment-high-among-children-of-migrants-study/article6898897.ece

Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

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Udaipur

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Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

‘When the mother is under-nourished, children are 1.8 times more likely to be severely malnourished’

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