Poverty And Under Nutrition Among Under Five Age Group Children In Mumbai Metropolitan Region

Child malnutrition is a major health problem in India. Mumbai Metropolitan Region is an economically most developed region of Maharashtra. High economics growth of region should not have high incidence of malnutrition among below five age group children. But we found that there is high incidence of underweight among below five age group children in Govandi, Thane, Bhandup. The incidence of stunting is found more in Ghatkopar, Thane, Turbhe, Mulund and Bhandup. The wasting incidence among below five age group children is found more in Koparkhirne, Turbhe, Mulund and Bhandup. At below one age group, more children are underweight, stunted and wasted. Lower household size, parents lower education, lower income and lower asset holding leads to malnutrition among children. We estimated around one lakh deaths per annum of under-five age group children in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. We have used logit regression model to examine the co-relation of child malnutrition with socio-economic and demographic factors. The incidence of underweight is negatively co-related to age, per capita income, time required to carry water, television, pulses, other methods of contraceptives, injections. It is positively co-related to telephone and curd. The stunting among children is negatively co-related to age, time required, television, bike, pulses, other methods of contraceptives, injections, age at marriage and sterilisation. It is positively co-related to sex, bed, curd, and home delivery. The incidence of wasting is negatively co-related to age, television, pulses and injections. It is positively co-related to per capita income and curd. There is need of different policies in different slums of region. Health care staff must visit slums regularly. They must treat all patients, counsel on immunisation, breastfeeding and institutional deliveries. Government must start training and self-employment for poor people of slums. The NGO’S, researchers, social workers, politicians must work together for the higher standard of living of population. Government must invest money infrastructure in facilities for poor of slums. Slums should not be demolished in region. They are integrated part of region. Every child must be seen as window of opportunity for future human resource of region. Such policies will certainly reduce malnutrition among children at some extent in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.