Abstract: Introduction: Tackling malnutrition poses a significant public health concern in India, notably affecting infants and young children, resulting in serious health implications. Therefore, our emphasis has been on identifying malnourished children within the research region as part of our efforts to address this issue.
Methods: A study was carried out on 30 infants and young children of age group 6-24 months from Khodawanpur block, Begusarai District, Bihar. A structured questionnaire was used to gather general information such as age, gender, family size and economic status. The nutritional status of infants and young children was determined by processing the data on excel sheet, using descriptive statistics.
Results: The prevalence of severe acute malnutrition was about 46.67 percent were severely wasting, 76.67 percent were severely stunting, and 66.67 percent were severely underweight. There are also significant numbers of children facing moderate malnutrition i.e. 36.67 percent, 27 percent, and 20 percent for moderate wasting, stunting, and underweight, respectively. Additionally, 3.66 percent, 26.33 percent and 13.33 percent of children experience milder forms of wasting, stunting, and underweight conditions.
Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence of malnutrition in the study area, it was recommended that appropriate preventive actions be implemented as soon as feasible.
