It is important to assess the nutritional status of children of age 0-59 months. Anthropometric measurement helps us in evaluating the bodily measurements of children related to their height and weight. The data obtained from these indicators help us to determine three indices which are stunting (child having low height according to his/her age), wasting (child having low weight according to his/her height) and underweight (child having low weight according to his/her age) these indices help in describing the malnutritional status across the world, according to Pakistan demographic and health survey done in 2012-2013 undernutrition levels in Punjab are comparatively lower than in Sindh i.e 57% are stunted,14% are wasted and 42% are underweight in Sindh in contrast to Punjab in which 40% are stunted,10% is wasted and 26% are underweight this means in Sindh there is more chronic nutrition (stunting), acute malnutrition (wasting), long-term and acute short term malnutrition (underweight) as compared to Punjab.
CARE PRACTICES
Breastfeeding practice is very common in Pakistan with, 96.6% of children ever breastfed in Sindh and 92.8% in Punjab. Cases of early introduction of breastfeeding in infants within one hour of their birth in Sindh are 19.7% and 12.7% in Punjab. The median duration of any breastfeeding whether it is exclusive or predominant is 20.6 months in Sindh and 17.5 months in Punjab, according to WHO it is recommended that the children should be fed nothing except the mother’s breastmilk for the first six months (exclusive breastfeeding) whose median duration in Sindh is 1.3 months and 0.7 months in Punjab and median duration of predominant breastfeeding which means breast milk and only plain water or liquids other than milk such as juice, clear broth, and other liquids in Sindh is 3.9 months and 1.5 months in Punjab.
As the children are six months old complimentary food (solid/semi-solid) should be introduced along with breastmilk that should be continued for two years or more than that since it will help in the growth and development of the children and prevent them from malnutrition or any sort of illness or infections.
Infant and young child feeding practices proposed that breastfed children of age 6-23 months should be fed from four or more groups of food that includes ,cheese, infant formula, yogurt or other products made out of milk, food rich with vitamin A, fruits, and vegetables, foods made from grains, porridge, eggs, meat, fish etc with minimum amount of time solid or semi-solid food should be fed is twice a day for children age 6-23 months and at least thrice a day for children age 9-23 months in Sindh 23.7% of breastfed children age 6-23 months were fed food coomprising of four or more groups of food along with 63.8% who were fed food minimum amount of time but only 20.6% were fed in accordance with (IYCF) protocols that are given food comprise of four or more groups and is fed for recommended meal times as compared to punjab where breastfed childrens were fed from four or more groups were 19.3% to 48.8% were fed minimum meal frequency but only 15.4 % were fed both four or more groups and minimum meal frquency
Whereas in non breastfed children from 6-23 months old 70.8% were fed milk or milk products at least twice a day with 29.1% receiving solid/semi-solid food comprising at least four or more groups and not including the milk or products made of milk and 84% fed with minimum meal frequency that is four to five times a day as compared to Punjab where 83.7% are fed milk or milk products,29.3% fed with four or more groups of food with 87.2 % fed with minimum meal frequency
