The Indian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics

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Effect of Lactation on Nutritional Status in Urban Women from Low Middle Income Families


Affiliations
1 Nutrition Foundation of India, C-13, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, India
2 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore-641 043, Tamil Nadu, India
     

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In India breast feeding is universal. Studies carried out in the 1980s have shown that in women from low income families, lactation during the first six months was associated with weight loss. Over time there has been substantial reduction in under-nutrition across all groups including lactating women and over-nutrition has emerged as a public health problem. A study was taken up to assess the impact of universal and prolonged lactation on nutritional status and adiposity in 2240 women from urban low middle income group; 83.5% were 18-29 years of age and 16.5% were 30 years or older. As lactating women had to meet the energy cost of milk production, they weighed less and had lower mean BMI, MUAC, HC and WC as compared to non-lactating women. Prevalence of under-nutrition was higher and over-nutrition was lower in lactating women as compared to non-lactating women. In this community, prevalence of under-nutrition was low and lactation was not associated with persistent deterioration in nutritional status in either of the age groups; identifying lactating women who are under-nourished, providing them with nutrition education and take home rations continuously and monitoring their improvement may result in steep reduction in under-nutrition rates. Prevalence of over-nutrition in lactating women especially in ≥ 30 year age group was high; over-nutrition rates increased with waning lactation. Nutrition and health education on importance of increasing physical activity and interventions to promote discretionary physical activity are urgently required to halt the rise in over-nutrition and risk of non-communicable diseases in these women.

Keywords

Adiposity, Abdominal Adiposity, Duration Of Lactation, Low Middle Income Families, Over Nutrition, Under-Nutrition, Urban Women.
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  • Effect of Lactation on Nutritional Status in Urban Women from Low Middle Income Families

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Authors

Anshi Goel
Nutrition Foundation of India, C-13, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, India
Thirumani Devi A.
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore-641 043, Tamil Nadu, India
Kalaivani K.
Nutrition Foundation of India, C-13, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, India
Prema Ramachandran
Nutrition Foundation of India, C-13, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 016, India

Abstract


In India breast feeding is universal. Studies carried out in the 1980s have shown that in women from low income families, lactation during the first six months was associated with weight loss. Over time there has been substantial reduction in under-nutrition across all groups including lactating women and over-nutrition has emerged as a public health problem. A study was taken up to assess the impact of universal and prolonged lactation on nutritional status and adiposity in 2240 women from urban low middle income group; 83.5% were 18-29 years of age and 16.5% were 30 years or older. As lactating women had to meet the energy cost of milk production, they weighed less and had lower mean BMI, MUAC, HC and WC as compared to non-lactating women. Prevalence of under-nutrition was higher and over-nutrition was lower in lactating women as compared to non-lactating women. In this community, prevalence of under-nutrition was low and lactation was not associated with persistent deterioration in nutritional status in either of the age groups; identifying lactating women who are under-nourished, providing them with nutrition education and take home rations continuously and monitoring their improvement may result in steep reduction in under-nutrition rates. Prevalence of over-nutrition in lactating women especially in ≥ 30 year age group was high; over-nutrition rates increased with waning lactation. Nutrition and health education on importance of increasing physical activity and interventions to promote discretionary physical activity are urgently required to halt the rise in over-nutrition and risk of non-communicable diseases in these women.

Keywords


Adiposity, Abdominal Adiposity, Duration Of Lactation, Low Middle Income Families, Over Nutrition, Under-Nutrition, Urban Women.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.21048/ijnd.2020.57.3.25434