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Nutritional status of infants and young children in India across three decades: Analysis of five national family health surveys.
- Source :
- European Journal of Clinical Nutrition; Jul2024, Vol. 78 Issue 7, p591-606, 16p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Background: Three indicators of early childhood undernutrition and associated factors are evaluated among under-5 children in five National Family Health Surveys in India spanning 1992 to 2021. Methods: Data for 533,495 children under 5 years of age (U–5) were analysed in the context of three commonly used indicators of early childhood undernutrition – wasting, stunting and underweight. In addition to descriptive and inferential statistics, binary logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of specific explanatory factors on the three indicators using adjusted odds ratios. Results: Over the three-decade interval, stunting was reduced by 22.1% in boys and 20.9% in girls, followed by underweight, 19.3% in boys and 17.4% in girls; wasting, in contrast, was reduced to a considerably lesser extent, 2.8% in boys and 0.9% in girls. Demographic, maternal and socioeconomic factors were associated with the incidence of early childhood undernutrition, specifically among young mothers and those with less education in low-income families, and among children from Scheduled Tribes or Scheduled Castes. Stunting and underweight declined significantly over the past three decades while wasting changed negligibly. The disparity in the occurrence of early childhood undernutrition was apparent throughout socioeconomic categories and regions of India. Conclusions: The results highlight the need for special programs aimed at reducing waste among children and also the need for customized initiatives focused on the improvement of maternal education and wealth in addition to other ancillary factors related to regional variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- FAMILY health
CLINICAL medicine
CROSS-sectional method
MALNUTRITION
WASTING syndrome
LEANNESS
STATISTICAL significance
KEY performance indicators (Management)
LOGISTIC regression analysis
SOCIOECONOMIC factors
FAMILIES
CHI-squared test
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
SURVEYS
ODDS ratio
NUTRITION disorders in children
NUTRITIONAL status
INFERENTIAL statistics
GROWTH disorders
CONFIDENCE intervals
DATA analysis software
EDUCATIONAL attainment
POVERTY
CHILDREN
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09543007
- Volume :
- 78
- Issue :
- 7
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 178332928
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-024-01427-7