Does Malnutrition Influence Occurrence of Acute Respiratory Infection?

Nutrition is the cornerstone of socioeconomic development of a county. Malnutrition is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in children. The objective was to determine the nutritional status of under five children and its association with acute respiratory infection. Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2009 to December 2009 in under five children in urban slum in Raichur. 253 (56.1%) children were found to be malnourished, out of them 81(18%) were found to be in grade III & IV malnourished. Significant association (p<0.05) was found out between malnourished children and occurrence of ARI. Emphasis should be given on maternal nutrition and their education, and improvement of socio-economic status to reduce the burden of childhood under nutrition. The present study may also help the policy planners to develop strategies to combat different forms of malnutrition by targeting the high-risk groups.