Relationship Between Nutritional Status And Socioeconomic Status Among Preschoolers

Background: Nutrition is the foundation to ensure good health. Optimum nutrition is an integral component of paediatric health care1. Good nutrition is essential to good health throughout life, beginning with parental life and extending through old age2. The nutritional status is influenced by a complex interaction between internal or constitutional factors and external environmental factors. Internal or constitutional factors may be age, gender, nutrition, behaviour, physical activity and disease whereas external environmental factors may be food safety, cultural and socioeconomic factors3.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted to assess the relationship between nutritional status and socioeconomic status among preschoolers of selected Anganwadis at Varkala Municipality. Quantitative correlational research design was adopted for the study. Two hundred and fifty preschoolers were selected using convenience sampling technique. Data collection tool was structured questionnaire to collect sociodemographic variables, Modified kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale to assess socioeconomic status. Nutritional status was assessed based on weight for age, height for age and mid arm circumference.Results: The relationship between nutritional status and socioeconomic status was computed by using correlation coefficient, there was a significant correlation found between nutritional status based on weight for age with socioeconomic status (r = 0.150, p<0.05), on the basis of height for age there was a negative correlation found with socioeconomic status and based on mid arm circumference there was no correlation found with socioeconomic status. The chi-square value showed that there was significant association found between nutritional status based on weight for age and mother’s age, birth weight (p<0.05), history of recurrent infections (p<0.001), on the basis of height for age association was found with child’s age, area of residence (p<0.01), and type of family (p< 0.05) and with regard to Mid arm circumference association was found with age of child (p<0.001) and religion (p<0.05).Conclusion: There is a relationship between nutritional status and socioeconomic status based on weight for age