WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Mahesh M., Dr. J. Lissa* and Sathyaraj S.

ABSTRACT

The main aim of this study was to Comparative Study on Physical Growth and Behavioral Problems Among Low Birth weight and Normal Birth Weight Children in Anganawadi at Mysore.Objectives1. To assess the physical growth of low birthweight and normal birthweight children.2. To assess the behavioral problems of low birthweight children and normal birthweight children.3. To compare the physical growth and behavioral problems of low birthweight children and normal birthweight children with selected socio demographic variables.Method: The research design adopted for the study was descriptive comparative study design. The study was conducted among 60 anganawadi children (2-4 years) was selected by purposive sampling technique, 30 low birthweight and 30 normal birthweight children of Anganawadi in Mysore city was selected as samples. Section I: Demographic Performa was used to know the socio demographic details of the samples. In section II: Anthropometric measurements were taken to assess the physical growth of children. In section III: Standardized tool was used to assess the level of behavioral problems among children. Results: The findings of the study results revealed that the physical growth of low birthweight children was lesser compared to normal birthweight children. LBW children have a mean weight of 11.990 kg, which is significantly lower than the mean weight of NBW children at 12.490 kg. The t-test confirms a highly significant difference between the two groups (p < 0.001). This finding is expected, as birth weight influences subsequent weight gain and growth patterns. The mean height of LBW children (88.70 cm) is significantly lower compared to NBW children (91.43 cm). The t-test result (p < 0.001) shows a highly significant difference. This reflects the impact of initial low birth weight on growth in height. LBW children have a higher mean score (20.77) for behavioral problems compared to NBW children (14.97). This indicates that LBW children are reported to have more behavioral problems on average than their NBW counter parts .LBW infants have a higher standard deviation (5.406) compared to NBW children (4.08). This suggests that there is greater variability in behavioral problem scores among LBW children, which could imply that while LBW children on average have more behavioral problems, the degree of these problems varies more widely than in NBW children. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the researcher concludes that the lesser physical growth and higher behavioral problems were observed among low birthweight children compared to normal birthweight children.