Correct Answer - Option 3 : Drinking water quality
Explanation:
Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM)
- It is a major public health problem in India.
- This affects the child in the most crucial period of time of development, which can lead to permanent impairment in later life.
- PEM is measured in terms of underweight (low weight for age), stunting (low height for age) and wasting (low weight for height).
- Undernutrition predisposes the child to infection and complements its effect in contributing to child mortality.
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Lalonde model (1974) is used to look into the various determinants of PEM in under-five children and its interrelation in the causation of PEM.
- The determinants of PEM are broadly classified under four distinct categories: Environmental factors including the physical and social environment, behavioural factors, health-care service-related and biological factors.
- The socio-cultural factors play an important role wherein, it affects the attitude of the caregiver in feeding and care practices.
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Faulty feeding practice in addition to the poor nutritional status of the mother further worsens the situation.
- The vicious cycle of poor nutritional status of the mother leading to low birth weight child further exposes the child to susceptibility to infections which aggravates the situation.
- It is seen that the per capita income of the family did not have much bearing on the poor nutritional status of the child rather lack of proper health-care services adversely contributed to the poor nutritional status of the child.
- PEM is a critical problem with many determinants playing a role in causing this vicious cycle of undernutrition.
Faulty feeding practice by mother, Poor nutritional status of the mother and Environmental factors are responsible for PEM except Drinking water quality.
