scholarly journals Socio-economic inequality in malnutrition among children in India: an analysis of 640 districts from National Family Health Survey (2015–16)

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shrikant Singh ◽  
Swati Srivastava ◽  
Ashish Kumar Upadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Economic Inequality ◽  
Family Health ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
Childhood Malnutrition ◽  
National Family

Abstract Background Despite a fast-growing economy and the largest anti-malnutrition programme, India has the world’s worst level of child malnutrition. Despite India’s 50% increase in GDP since 1991, more than one third of the world’s malnourished children live in India. Among these, half of the children under age 3 years are underweight and a third of wealthiest children are over-nutrient. One of the major causes for malnutrition in India is economic inequality. Therefore, using the data from the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (2015–16), present study aims to examine the socio-economic inequality in childhood malnutrition across 640 districts of India. Method Concentration curve and generalized concentration index were used to examine the socioeconomic inequalities in malnutrition. However, regression-based decomposition methodology was used to decomposes the causes of inequality in childhood malnutrition. Result Result shows that about 38% children in India were stunted and 35% were underweight during 2015–16. Prevalence of stunting and underweight children varies considerably across Indian districts (13 to 65% and 7 to 67% respectively). Districts having the higher share of undernourished children is coming from the particular regions like central, east and west part of the country. On an average about 35% of household in a district having the access of safe drinking water and 42% of household in a district exposed to open defecation. The study found the inverse relationship between district’s economic development with childhood stunting and underweight. The concentration of stunted as well as underweight children were found in least developed districts of India. Decomposition approach found that practice of open defecation is positively influenced the inequality in stunting and underweight. Further, inequality in undernutrition is accelerated by the height and education of the mother, and availability of safe drinking water in a district. Conclusions The districts that lied out in a spectrum of developmental diversity are required some specific set of information’s that covering socio-economic, demographic and health-related quality of life of people in those backward districts. More generally, policies to avail improved water and sanitation facility to public and female literacy should be continued. It is also important to see that the benefits of both infrastructure and more general economic development are spread more evenly across districts.

The NFHS-5 Sanitation Story: Case for Moving from Access to Adoption

2021 ◽  
pp. 001946622110153
Author(s):  
Payal Seth
Keyword(s):  
Health Survey ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
Open Defecation ◽  
The Past ◽  
National Family ◽  
Individual Household ◽  
Official Data

This commentary analyses the recently launched National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019–2020) factsheet to investigate the claim of an open defecation free (ODF) India. The official data from Swachh Bharath Mission (SBM) was used to declare India ODF on 2 October 2019. The SBM statistics reported that India has achieved 100% sanitation coverage, that is, the fraction of households with access to individual household latrines (IHHLs). However, the NFHS-5 data shows that even though India witnessed an improvement in sanitation in the past four to five years, we are far from achieving universal elimination of open defecation. In an attempt to evaluate the differing claims made regarding India’s ODF status by two Government of India’s data sources, I explain the distinction in their objectives. While the SBM captures access to IHHLs, NFHS-5 records the place which the members of the household usually use for defecation. The two datasets jointly suggest that access to toilets does not concurrently translate to its usage. Hence, determining the ODF status of Indian communities on mere access to toilets is an inadequate representation of the sanitation environment. There is substantial merit in moving the sanitation outcomes from access to the adoption of toilets.

scholarly journals Missed opportunities for delivering nutrition interventions in first 1000 days of life in India: insights from the National Family Health Survey, 2006 and 2016

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e003717
Author(s):  
Phuong Hong Nguyen ◽  
Rasmi Avula ◽  
Lan Mai Tran ◽  
Vani Sethi ◽  
Alok Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Survey ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Universal Coverage ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
Nutrition Interventions ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
National Family ◽  
Opportunity Gaps

ObjectivesExisting health and community nutrition systems have the potential to deliver many nutrition interventions. However, the coverage of nutrition interventions across the delivery platforms of these systems has not been uniform. We (1) examined the opportunity gaps between delivery platforms and corresponding nutrition interventions through the continuum of care in India between 2006 and 2016 and and (2) assessed inequalities in these opportunity gaps.MethodsWe used two rounds of the National Family Health Survey data from 2005 to 2006 and 2015–2016 (n=36 850 and 190 898 mother–child dyads, respectively). We examine the opportunity gaps over time for seven nutrition interventions and their associated delivery platforms at national and state levels. We assessed equality and changes in equality between 2006 and 2016 for opportunity gaps by education, residence, socioeconomic status (SES), public and private platforms.ResultsCoverage of nutrition interventions was consistently lower than the reach of their associated delivery platforms; opportunity gaps ranging from 9 to 32 percentage points (pp) during the pregnancy, 17 pp during delivery and 9–26 pp during childhood in 2006. Between 2006 and 2016, coverage improved for most indicators, but coverage increases for nutrition interventions was lower than for associated delivery platforms. The opportunity gaps were larger among women with higher education (22–57 pp in 2016), higher SES status and living in urban areas (23–57 pp), despite higher coverage of most interventions and the delivery platforms among these groups. Opportunity gaps vary tremendously by state with the highest gaps observed in Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar islands, and Punjab for different indicators.ConclusionsIndia’s progress in coverage of health and nutrition interventions in the last decade is promising, but both opportunity and equality gaps remained. It is critical to close these gaps by addressing policy and programmatic delivery systems bottlenecks to achieve universal coverage for both health and nutrition within the delivery system.

scholarly journals Correction to: Inequalities in the utilisation of maternal health Care in Rural India: Evidences from National Family Health Survey III & IV

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Balhasan Ali ◽  
Shekhar Chauhan
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Maternal Health Care ◽  
Rural India ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
National Family

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

scholarly journals Severe wasting among Indian infants <6 months: Findings from the National Family Health Survey 4

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tarun Shankar Choudhary ◽  
Akanksha Srivastava ◽  
Ranadip Chowdhury ◽  
Sunita Taneja ◽  
Rajiv Bahl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Survey ◽  
Family Health ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
National Family

Anemia Prevalence in India Over Two Decades: Evidence from National Family Health Survey (NFHS)

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 335-340
Author(s):  
Ekta Belwal ◽  
Shalini Pandey ◽  
Supta Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
National Family Health Survey ◽  
National Family

Anemia is the most prevalent deficiency disease and one among the major nutrition related goals globally. Children and women of reproductive age are the most vulnerable groups for anemia everywhere. While there are various nutritional and non-nutritional factors causing anemia, Iron deficiency is the most prominent of them. In India, more than half population of preschool age children and reproductive age women is suffering from anemia. Indian government had started anemia prophylaxis efforts a half century ago and still continuing to battle with this ever prevalent disease to bring down its occurrence. National Family Health Survey is the large-scale survey conducted in India to provide high-quality data on health and family welfare and related emerging issues. The data provided not only helps in formulation, revision and monitoring of the policies and programs but in situating the development of India globally. Studying the time trend for anemia prevalence and other related parameters reported in NFHS surveys helps how well India has performed until now and how far is from its goal to become Anemia free country. Keywords: Anemia, iron deficiency, health survey, child health, maternal health.

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