Abstract

A COMPARATIVE STUDY TO ASSESS NUTRITIONAL ASSESSMENT OF WORKING AND NON WORKING PARENTS HAVING CHILDREN 0-3 YEARS OF AGE AT SELECTED AREA, LUDHIANA, PUNJAB.

Rajdeep Kaur*, Suraj Mathew and Mandeep Kaur

Abstract

Introduction: Health is a fundamental right of every individual. The factors which influence the growth are heredity, sex, race, nationality, environment such as pre- natal and post-natal, cultural influences, socioeconomic status of family nutrition, climate, season, exercise, hormonal influences. Aim: The objectives of study were to assess the nutritional status of children(0-3 years) among working and non working parents to compare the nutritional status of those children, to find out relationship between nutritional status and selected variable such as age of the child, gender, birth order, age of parents, occupation of parents, education of parents and type of family and to provide guidelines to parents. Method: Quantitative approach was used in the study. Subjects were chosen by simple random sampling technique and sample size was 60. Data was collected by structured questionnaire. The tool was prepared and checked for validity and reliability. Pilot study was done on 5 children (age 0-3 years) to check feasibility and practibility of the study. Data collection was done in month of April 2015. Result: Analysis and interpretation was done according to the objectives of the study. Bar diagrams are used to depict the findings. The present study revealed that majority of children who were assessed for nutritional status were in the age group of 2-3 years and majority of them were males having 1 birth order and age of parents falls under 21-30 years whose occupation of father is private and mother is housewife and education of father is matric/ senior secondary and education of mother is graduate/ post graduate and type of family is nuclear. Conclusion: The present study conducted by the researcher to assess the nutrition status of children (0-3 yrs) children among working and non working woman revealed that majority of children among non working women were normal and mothers employment leads to 93.3% normal children and 6.67% fall under grade I i.e. mild degree of malnutrition.

Keywords: Nutritional status, working parents, non-working parents, questionnaire.