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Child nutrition status in Rajathan, India: A positive deviance analysis
Author(s) -
Hardy Meagan Janelle,
Suri Devika
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.734.5
Subject(s) - underweight , medicine , psychological intervention , positive deviance , outreach , malnutrition , wasting , child health , environmental health , weight for age , demography , pediatrics , overweight , population , psychiatry , obesity , sociology , pathology , political science , law , endocrinology
Objective To apply a positive deviance (PD) analysis to the Government of India's Integrated Child Development Services in rural Rajasthan, which provides health and nutrition outreach activities. Methods A nutrition and health behavior survey was administered to 720 caregivers of children under three. Children from the poorest subset of households (n=456) within one standard deviation of normal weight‐for‐age z‐score (WAZ) were classified as positive deviants. Results Overall, 7.84% of children were positive deviants. These children were over three times as likely to have been exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, compared to severely underweight children (p = 0.035). Colostrum‐feeding was associated with significantly higher child WAZ scores (p = 0.029). Caregivers of positive deviants were more likely to have an accurate perception of their child's weight (p < 0.001). Conclusions Nutrition interventions in resource‐poor areas should consider the health behaviors associated with increased WAZ found by PD, which can be enacted by caregivers despite limited resources and have a significant effect. The association between caregivers’ correct weight perception and normal child WAZ warrants further research to determine its effect on health behaviors. Funding provided by UNICEF and the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.