JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

In resource-constrained environments where malnutrition in children is common, people coexist closely with livestock. Undernutrition, which can result in stunting, wasting, and being underweight, is still a major public health issue for children in India. Livestock serves as a direct source of protein through animal-source foods (ASF), like meat, milk, and eggs, significantly reducing undernutrition in under-five children. The association between livestock ownership and stunting in children is not well explored in Maharashtra, India.

Objective:

The current study sought to evaluate the relationship between stunting among under-five children in Central India and livestock ownership using the Tropical Livestock Unit (TLU) score.

Methods:

A community-based, case-control study will be conducted for 12 months among a minimum of 614 children aged 6-59 months in a few rural blocks of Wardha district, Maharashtra. A pre-designed semi-structured questionnaire will be used to collect data from the informant (either parent). Anthropometric measurements will be plotted on World Health Organization (WHO) standard growth charts for Z scores for stunting and wasting, respectively. A Tropical Livestock Unit (TLU) will be used to represent the livestock count of all species. The categorical variables (stunted and non-stunted) will be analyzed using the 'Fisher exact' test to find significant associations between different risk factors. All confounding variables will be analyzed using multivariate analysis. Associated risks will be identified and tabulated using odds ratio (OR) with confidence intervals.

Results:

This study protocol will provide a comprehensive understanding of the associations of livestock ownership with childhood stunting and wasting among children aged 6-59 months in central rural India.

Conclusions:

This study will explain the association between stunting, wasting, and livestock ownership, respectively. This study will also provide the prevalence of current stunting, wasting, and underweight rates. The results will be instrumental in building new public health policies, integrated programs, and nutritional interventions. Clinical Trial: The study received approval on 31/01/2024 from the Institutional Ethics Committee of Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research with the reference number (DMIHER(DU)/IEC/2024/137) to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines, respect participant rights, meet established standards, and has been registered with the Clinical Trials Registry - India under registration number (CTRI/2024/05/066865).