Mother and Child Health - international indexed refereed research ...

International Indexed&Referred Research Journal,Sept,2012.ISSN-0975-3486,RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.IV*ISSUE-36
Research Paper—Social Work
Mother and Child Health :
A study of BPL families with Social Work Perspective.
* Pattan Rakesh ** Dr. K S Mali Patil
September,2012
* Research Scholar, Dept of Social Work, Gulbarga University, Gulbarga
* * Chairman,Dept of Social Work, Gulbarga university, Gulbarga.
A B S T R A C T
The present research paper aims to explore the health status of the mother and its impact on the children. Mother’s poor health and
nutritional status in India are inextricably bound up with social, cultural and economic factors. These factors severely constrain the ability
of mothers to acquire good health services. Such conditions have consequences not only for the women themselves but also for the well
being of their children, the functioning of households and the distribution of resources. These include unequal access to resources
including health care, rural/urban residence, work status, caste and religion, poor quality of life, low literary rate, marriage at young age
etc. Hence, there is an urgent need to reorient population programme priorities to focus on health needs and on women based services.
Key words: Mother and Child Health, Nutrition , Comman Child hood illness and deficiency diseases
Introduction
aspects of mothers in BPL families.
‘Children are future of the society and Significance of the Study
mothers are guardian of that future (WHO 2005). The concept of mother and child health today
Hence to ensure sound foundation and secure future has become a major concern because at its impact on
of any society health and nutrition of mothers need nation. Health and nutritional status especially in BPL
protection. Children in preschool stage require most families it contributes high prevalence at infant, child
attention as this is the period of rapid growth and and maternal mortality and the deteriorating quality
development which makes them highly vulnerable to of life.
malnutrition.
India has made a slow and steady progress in
During preschool period child is mostly dependent on human development ever since independence. Severe
mother for all their nutritional needs. Hence major and florid forms of malnutrition have declined
care provided for the child, her status in the family substantially, infant mortality has declined from 146
may have bearing on nutritional status of her child per 1000 live births (1951) to 69 per 1000 live births
(World Bank 1994, Guha B et al 2006). But health (2000), life expectancy has risen from 37 years to 63
and nutritional status of mothers itself a complex years and we have achieved self sufficiency in food
concept and includes various areas including social, production. In spite of all these impressive
economical, autonomy, reproductive right, health and developments on records, one third of newborns start
well being etc., ( amy caiazza 2009, smith l.c. et al their life with low birth weight, more than half of
2004). In this context the present Article is an attempt young children below five years of age continue to
to know the mother and child health a study of BPL suffer from moderate and severe malnutrition, over
families.
60% of women are anemic and this figure rises to 85%
Objectives of the Study:
during pregnancy state, 40-60% of adolescent girls
The aim of the study is to explore health status of the tend to be anemic. Malnutrition is thus wide spread in
mother and its impact on the children. To achieve the rural, tribal and urban slum areas and it is a significant
aim study the following objectives are formulated. public health problem described as silent killer, silent
1. To study the personal background of the Mother emergency, invisible enemy affecting those who cannot
and Child
express, their voice and have to depend upon others
2. To examine health status of the mothers and their for their advocacy.
offspring’s with special reference to nutrition
Poor nutritional status intake of mother is
3. To explore the impact of Mothers’ health on the often co-related with poor economic status, nutritional
Children
deprivation high risk of pregnancy such as maternal
4. To identify prevalence of ill health and Complications and deaths low birth weight babies
malnutrition of the mothers in BPL families and premature births. According to the N.F.H.S-II the
5. To suggest the Social Work intervention module infant mortality rate (IMR) in Karnataka is 52 per
to the issues of health and nutrition of poor families 1000 births which is much lower that the national
RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
63

International Indexed&Referred Research Journal,Sept,2012.ISSN-0975-3486,RNI-RAJBIL 2009/30097;VoL.IV*ISSUE-36
IMR of 68. Hence it is very significant and vital to
study the mother and child health: A study of BPL
families in north Karnataka. Till now only a few studies
have been conducted in this area.
As per researcher’s knowledge, in India no such studies
were undertaken to know about mother and child
health: A study of BPL families, hence the study intends
mother and child health.
Statement of the problem
The issues of mother and child health were
the neglected areas in health care. These issues came
into prominence with the international conference
with the international conference on population and
development at Cairo in 1994 and Fourth world
conference of women at Beginning in 1995.
As data available in Karnataka shows that
there is no evidence of gender bias in food distribution
among the children but the same time the nutritional
requirements of mothers are not fully met. Anemia
among the women, Iron deficiency is the most
widespread for at malnutrition in the world affecting
more than two billion people. In Karnataka the
hemoglobin level was tested from 94 percent of the
women compared with 88 percent in India as a whole.
Anemia has detrimental effects on the health of women
and children and can become an underlying cause of
maternal mortality, ante-natal mortality, and increased
risk of pre-mature delivery.
Mortality of infants can not be isolated from
women has a very high level of infant mortality rate
(IMR) in Karnataka that is 52 per 1000 live births
which is much lower than the national IMR at 68.
On account at prosperity and changing life style in
urban areas, obesity is emerging as substantial problem
among several groups of women in India on the basis
of BMI,NFHS-2 data indicates that overall 10.6 %
women between 15-49 years were obese and obesity
was more pronounced in Delhi (33.8%), Punjab
Chronic energy deficiency in women at 15-49 years is
prevalent to the extent at 36%. Who have BMI value
less than Anemia among pregnant women continues
to be unabated, as 84.9% of pregnant women were
found to be anemic according to ICMR study
undertaken in 16 districts at 13 states? Prevalence of
goiter among 6-12 years children were 4.78 % and
night blindness in children (24-71 months of age)
were 1.03 % and bitot spots and night blindness were
reported to be of the level of 0.34 % and 0.7%
respectively. Similarly prevalence of Iodine deficiency
disorders (IDD) in the country is widespread, over
300 million people are exposed to the risk of goitre,54
million have goiter 2.2 million are born cretins And
6.6 million have mild neurological disorders 12 overall
prevalence rate of vitamin ‘A’ deficiency in India has
been reported as 0.21 %.
Malnutrition results from combination of causes or
factors and condition how birth weight arise on account
of poor nutritional state of pregnant women.
Malnutrition in young children can be women are
mainly due to inadequate eating and discriminators
food customs.
In this context, the present study aimed at study the
mother and child health: A study of BPL families in
north Karnataka.
Conclusion
For the above mentioned reasons, the health of women
is being understood in terms of maternal mortality
and reproductive health.. It projects a mother and not
a woman. To understand woman’s health holistically,
it is important to look into the morbidities which are
not only related to reproduction but are social, mental
and spiritual. In the new millennium when life
expectancy for woman is continuing to rise and they
are living longer, it is therefore important that they
have access to knowledge related to their own health
and are able to have control over all aspects of her
(30.2%), kerala (20.6%), Haryana
body along with her reproductive system.
(16.66%), Karnataka (13.6%).
R E F E R E N C E
1. Sujata Mithal Health and nutrition for the school age child.
2. Appoh LY, Krekling S. Maternal nutritional knowledge and child nutritional status in the Volta region of Ghana. Matern Child Nutr.
2005 Apr;1(2):100-10
3. Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis and Gautam Hazarika. Women’s status and Children’s Food Security in Pakistan.UNU-WIDER, Discussion
Paper No. 2006/03. June 2006.
4. Olga Basso, Jorn Olsen, Anne Mette T Johansen, Karre Christensen. Change in social status and risk of low birth weight in Denmark:
population based cohort study. BMJ 1997;315:1498-1502 (6 December).
5. Sakisaka K, Wakai S, Kuroiwa C, Cuadra Flores L, Kai I, Mercedes Aragon M, Hanada K. Nutritional status and associated factors
in children aged 0-23 months in Granada, Nicaragua. Public Health. 2006 May;120(5):400-11.
6. World Bank, A new agenda for Women’s Health & Nutrition 1994; 1-96
7. World Health Organization, Make every mother and child count WHO Report 2005
64 RESEARCH ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION