Child nutrition outcomes and maternal nutrition-related knowledge among the tribal population of Mamit district, Mizoram

Abstract

A mother's nutritional knowledge is essential for her child's growth, health and well-being. It ensures a healthy pregnancy, prevents nutrient deficiencies, strengthens immunity, and promotes lifelong healthy eating habits. Proper nutrition reduces the risk of diseases, supports physical and mental development, and improves maternal and child health. Informed mothers raise healthier children. The nutritional status of an individual is determined by the balance between their nutritional intake and requirements, ensuring the utilization of nutrients to maintain reserves and compensate for losses. Due to the complexity of factors and mechanisms affecting each person's nutritional balance, it is essential to employ measures that guide our nutritional status. The nutritional status of an individual encompasses their overall health condition, which is determined by factors such as the intake and absorption of nutrients, metabolic processes, and the body's utilization of these nutrients. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Kanhmun village of Mamit district, Mizoram on 268 children aged 0-10 years and their mothers respectively. The purposes of the study were to assess the nutritional knowledge possessed by the mothers of the village, simultaneously examine the child's nutritional status based on certain parameters, and see the association of various variables with the child's nutritional status. The study reflected that the majority of the mothers have high nutritional knowledge i.e. 202 mothers forming a percentage of 75.4%, followed by mothers with average nutritional knowledge with 20.1% and 12 mothers have poor nutritional knowledge with a percentage of 4.5% of the total studied population. It also showed a positive association between different parameters and child's nutritional status.