Feeding Practices and Malnutrition in Infants of Bhil Tribe in Jhabua District of Madhya Pradesh

Growth in children is most rapid in the first year of life. The birth weight doubles by five to six months and triples by one year of age. Growth is a key indicator of child health and development but growth failure is a common problem in pre-school children in developing countries. Almost one out of every two or three children suffer from some degree of growth failure. About 25 to 30 million children are born every year in India. In order that this human resource reaches its optimum development, it is essential that every child gets adequate breastfeeding and supplementary nutrition at the appropriate age. About 1 in every 12 children (85 per 1000) born in the five years before the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) died within the first year of life.