Objective: To determine socioeconomic risk factors associated with underweight children in Islamabad rural area.
Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Dr. Sadafs Specialized Clinics & Children Hospital, Islamabad from January to June 2019. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire & anthropometric measurements. Non-probability sampling was used. The data was analyzed in SPSS version 23.
Results: Out of 126 children, 83 (66%) were female & 43 (34%) male. Illiteracy was present in 23.8% of mothers & 12.7% fathers. Families with more than 5 family members had a higher proportion (n=66, 65.9%) of malnourished children. Majority of families with monthly income below Rs. 50,000 were found to have underweight children (n=102, 81%). It was observed that 74 (58.7%) malnourished children belonged to joint families. Pallor was seen in 68.3% patients.
Conclusion: There is a strong association between low family income, female gender, maternal illiteracy, large family size and the prevalence of under nutrition in children less than 5 years of age.
Key words: Malnutrition, socioeconomic factors, underweight.
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