KARACHI, Aug 21: Forty per cent of Pakistani children under five are malnourished and 25 per cent of babies are born underweight, hence susceptible to illness and death.

According to paediatricians, the right of these children to proper physical and mental development and wellbeing is also jeopardised.

The situation is attributed to the poor health status of mothers themselves. A large majority of these women are stated to already have given birth to more than one child in a family comprising seven to 10 members. According to a study the contributory determinants include large family, too many children, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and repeated infections.

Lack of immunization and bottle-feeding, improper type and timing of food during weaning are stated to be among the factors causing malnutrition in children. Paediatricians have urged proper education of mothers.

The study is based on interviews with mothers visiting government hospitals with malnourished children aged between one to five years.

The study reveals that 85.3 per cent of women had more than one child and 42 per cent had large families, 48.7 per cent of the mothers interviewed had their last child one year of age, 92 per cent of them were not using the family planning measures, 54.7 per cent of them were illiterate.

The fathers of 26.7 per cent of these kids were unemployed and in 40 per cent cases the household’s monthly income was between Rs1000 to Rs3000.

54 per cent of the children were brought to hospitals because of diarrhoea, and 29.3 per cent had respiratory tract infection. Only 26.6 per cent of them were fully immunized. In 50 per cent of the cases weaning was started at the age of four months but it was improper with regard to type and timing of food.

56.7 per cent of the children were lethargic while playing, 60 per cent of them were advised both drug and diet by the doctors. 54 per cent of the mothers were not satisfied by the treatment given to their children.—APP