To Compare the Nutritional Status among under 5 Children in Anganwadi Center of Urban and Rural Area

Nutritional assessment is important in every country which serves appropriate data in gathering processes to enable accurate planning and implementation of health- care services to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition.4 Anganwadi is a special school for preschool children, which are mainly launched with the intention of mother and child care with nutritional supplements under Integrated Child Development Scheme in 1975. It also has a role in teaching, recreational activities and growth monitoring of preschool children.2 ICDS scheme has expanded remarkably in its scope and coverage providing a well-integrated package of services through a network of community level Anganwadi Centers (AWCs). The ICDS programme today covers 8.4 crore children out of 16.45 crore children of below 5 years.8 The term ‘Anganwadi’ is developed from the idea that a good early child care and development center, run with low cost local ingredients. The local Anganwadis are the corner stone of the ICDS Programme.4 According to IAP, for children to be well nourished, they need adequate amount of energy from variety of nutrients to lead a healthy life. We know that adequate amount of food is important throughout childhood but first five years of childhood is very crucial period.4 India constitutes 40% of the world's severely malnourished under-5 children and one in every third children in India are malnourished. Daily more than 6000 under- five children die due to malnutrition in India.9 Approximately 790 million people in the developing world subsist on diets that are deficient in energy. About 200 million children suffer from malnutrition and 2 billion people suffer from a variety of micronutrient deficiencies. The vast majority of the foodinsecure, whether their malnutrition is due to deficiencies in energy or in micronutrients, live in lowincome developing countries and mainly in the poorest areas