Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
The present study was planned to identify some of the risk factors of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in under-five children in a rural part of India.
STUDY DESIGN:
Case-control study.
METHODS:
The study was carried out in rural areas of Yavatmal district. A total of 737 cases (under-five SAM children) and an equal number of normal controls were included in the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis using a hierarchical model.
RESULTS:
The odds of a child being in the SAM category increased significantly if the family: was below the poverty line, have a kuccha house, have more children in the family, have less rooms in the house, have a working mother, has a mother with a lower level of education, have an unemployed father, did not use any water purification measure, did not always ensure parents washed their hands before feeding a child, did not wash hands with soap and water after defecation, have a father with any addictive habit like tobacco or alcohol consumption, have a maternal height