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The present cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) based undernutrition among Bengalee preschool children. This study was undertaken among 656 (326 boys; 330 girls) 3-5 years old rural Bengalee preschool children of Sagar Block, South 24 Parganas District, West Bengal, India. The MUAC was recorded according to standard procedure and nutritional status was evaluated using the World Health Organization (1995) guidelines. Age combined sex-specific mean values of MUAC among boys and girls were 14.58 (±0.90) cm and 14.48 (±0.85) cm respectively. Significant sex difference was observed at the age of 4 years (t=3.88, P=<0.001). Significant age variations were also found in mean MUAC. The overall prevalence of undernutrition was 25.61 percent. Boys (28.83%) were more undernourished than girls (22.42%). Prevalence of moderate undernutrition was more prevalent than severe undernutrition. Appropriate effective measures should be undertaken to reduce this undernutrition. Address for correspondence: Dr. Sadaruddin Biswas Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia 7231 104, West Bengal, India E-mail: sadarbiswas@gmail.com INTRODUCTION The preschool age group is the foundation for lifetime health, strength and intellectual vitality (Verma and Prinja 2008) and study on assessment of nutritional status among preschool children is becoming a major priority. This age group is particularly fraught with the risk of protein-energy malnutrition (Gupta and Shukla 1992). Undernutrition is one of the greatest problems among children in developing countries like India. It is still being confronted with this problem. As in other developing nations, malnourishment is a burden on a considerable proportion of the population, the most vulnerable being the youngest of the country (Chatterjee and Saha 2008). It has been well established that undernutrition in childhood is the leading cause of high child mortality rates in developing countries and it is highly harmful to the future of those children who survive (Pelletier 1994). Chronic undernutrition in childhood is highly determinable of slower cognitive development and serious health impairments in later life to reduce the quality of life of individuals (Scrimshaw 1996; Mandal and Bose 2009; Biswas et al. 2010). Child growth is universally used to assess adequate nutrition, health and development of individual children, and to estimate overall nutritional status and health of populations. They have special nutritional needs because of their extensive growth and development during preschool age period (Bishnoi et al. 2004). Child undernutrition not only increases morbidity and mortality in later life but also reduces the economic development and productivity of the county. Therefore, researchers from various disciplines worldwide constantly attempt to determine the prevalence of child undernutrition using different methods. Anthropometry is a widely accepted, inexpensive method to assess the nutritional status The paper is extracted from the Ph.D. thesis of Som Prasad Giri, titled ‘Patterns of Growth and Nutritional status among Bengalee Pre-school Children: A Biosocial Study’, which was submitted to the Vidyasagar University and was awarded on 17 January 2019. The supervisor of the thesis is Prof. Kaushik Sankar Bose of Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721 102, West Bengal, India J Life Science, 11(1-2): 1-6 (2019) DOI: 10.31901/24566306.2019/11.1-2.228 © Kamla-Raj 2019 PRINT: ISSN 0975-1270 ONLINE: ISSN 2456-6306 2 SOM PRASAD GIRI, SADARUDDIN BISWAS AND KAUSHIK BOSE of an individual (WHO1995). Children are the future of any nation (WHO 2005).Therefore, to ensure the solid foundation and secure future of any nation, health and nutrition of children need protection. In South and South-East Asia, India ranks first in the prevalence of undernutrition (Pasricha and Biggs 2010). Moreover, the rates of undernutrition are much higher among tribal children (IIPS 2007). However, it varies in different states of India ranging between thirteen percent and fifty-five percent, representing Meghalaya and Madhya Pradesh, respectively (UNICEF 2013). Measurement of mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) is a fast screening method for detecting undernutrition and a good predicting indicator of risk of imminent death among early childhood. It is also a predictor of childhood mortality (Chiabi et al. 2008). The MUAC is a relatively simple measurement and compared with weight-for-height, MUAC has a sensitivity of 24.6 percent and a specificity of 94.8 percent. There are several practical and theoretical advantages of using MUAC rather than weight for height for the determination of nutritional status (Biswas et al. 2010). Moreover, in community-based studies, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) appears to be a superior predictor of childhood undernutrition than many other anthropometric indicators (WHO1995). However, in India, reports on nutritional status using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) among Bengalee preschool children of Hindu castes are very scanty.

journal of life sciences

Assessment of Nutritional Status Using Mid-Upper Arm Circumference Among Bengalee Preschool Children of Sagar Island, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India