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Despite fast rates of economic growth, poor nutritional status and high mortality rates persist among Indian children. We use data from three waves of the Indian National Family and Health Survey to examine gender-specific trends in key indicators of child health between 1992–1993 and 2005–2006. We find that the most recent changes in indices of nutritional status have been overall similar between genders, reverting a movement toward male advantage observed in the 1990s. However, we also document that improvements in different mortality indices during the period were relatively larger for boys. (JEL codes: l15, J16, O12) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Summary: India accounts for over one-third of the world''s burden of lymphatic filariasis (LF). Although most coastal districts of Orissa state (eastern India) are LF-endemic, the western districts of Orissa are considered non-endemic. During a large-scale insecticide-treated bed net/microfinance trial, we tested one randomly selected adult (age 15-60 years) for LF from a random sample of microfinance-member households in five districts of western Orissa, using immunochromatographic card testing (ICT). Overall, 354 (adjusted prevalence 21%, 95%CI 17-25%) of 1563 persons were ICT positive, with district-wide prevalence rates ranging from 15-32%. This finding was not explained by immigration, as only 3% of subjects had ever lived in previously known LF-endemic districts. These results therefore suggest ongoing autochthonous transmission in districts where LF control programs are not operational. Our results highlight the importance of broad, systematic surveillance for LF in India and call for the implementation of LF control programs in our study districts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on a study examining the relationship between commitment devices and health-seeking behaviors in developing countries. It states that malaria transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes is one of the heaviest global health burdens, with 80 million cases in India alone. It mentions that a third of the human population lives in regions exposed to Plasmodium falciparum. It comments on the use of insecticide-treated bednets to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality and on reasons for low usage and retreatment of bednets.

Abstract: We evaluate the growth performance of Indian children of age 0–3 using data from the 1998–1999 National Family and Health Survey, making use of the new child growth standards developed by the World Health Organization’ Multicentre Growth Reference Study. We find that the new charts lead to an increase of 4.2 million in the estimated number of stunted children, and an increase of 2.3 million in the estimated number of wasted children. The estimated number of underweight children decreases instead by 2.1 million. We also use data on ethnic Indians living in the United Kingdom to provide evidence on the height genetic potential of Indians. We find that children of Indian ethnicity who live in the UK have anthropometric outcomes comparable to those in commonly used growth standards and that the height of ethnic South Asian in the sample is negatively related with the amount of time spent outside the United Kingdom. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on a study which measures the condition of child nutrition in India during 1990s. The presence of widespread child nutrition in India has been documented by many researchers which was measured through anthropometric indicators like weight and height. The reduction of child malnutrition can play a significant role in the arena of economic development. There was a substantial improvement in child nutritional status in urban areas of India during the 1990s. The study also examines whether variations in child growth performance was similar among boys and girls along with different geographical areas.

India retains the world's largest burden of anemia despite decades of economic growth and anemia prevention programming. Accurate screening and estimates of anemia prevalence are critical for successful anemia control. Evidence is mixed on the performance of HemoCue, a point-of-care testing device most widely used for large-scale surveys. The use of dried blood spots (DBS) to assess hemoglobin (Hb) concentration is a potential alternative, particularly in field settings. The objective of this study is to assess Hb measurement agreement between capillary HemoCue and DBS among two age groups, children 6-59 months and females age 12-40 years. We analyzed data from the baseline round of a cluster randomized rice fortification intervention in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, India. Capillary blood was collected from a subset of participants for Hb assessment by HemoCue 301 and DBS methods. We calculated Lin's concordance correlation coefficient, and tested bias by conducting paired t-tests of Hb concentration. Independence of the bias and Hb magnitude was examined visually using Bland-Altman plots and statistically tested by Pearson's correlation. We assessed differences in anemia classification using McNemar's test of marginal homogeneity. Concordance between HemoCue and DBS Hb measures was moderate for both children 6-59 months (ρ c  = 0.67; 95% CI 0.65, 0.71) and females 12-40 years (ρ c  = 0.67: 95% CI 0.64, 0.69). HemoCue measures were on average 0.06 g/dL higher than DBS for children (95% CI 0.002, 0.12; p = 0.043) and 0.29 g/dL lower than DBS for females (95% CI - 0.34, - 0.23; p < 0.0001). 50% and 56% of children were classified as anemic according to HemoCue and DBS, respectively (p < 0.0001). 55% and 47% of females were classified as anemic according to HemoCue and DBS, respectively (p < 0.0001). There is moderate statistical agreement of Hb concentration between HemoCue and DBS for both age groups. The choice of Hb assessment method has important implications for individual anemia diagnosis and population prevalence estimates. Further research is required to understand factors that influence the accuracy and reliability of DBS as a methodology for Hb assessment.