Pantnagar Journal of Research

Abstract

Child malnutrition remains a critical public health challenge in India, despite significant economic growth and health interventions over the past few decades. This study was undertaken to understand the district level prevalence and explore the correlates influencing the child malnutrition (0-5 years) in the districts of Madhya Pradesh, India in terms of four nutrition related outcomes, - stunting, wasting, underweight and anaemia with respect to sixteen identified contributing factors like mother’s health and education status, child feeding practices and Population and Household Profile. The present study constitutes a secondary data analysis of two round database of NFHSs (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5) with state and districts fact sheets of Madhya Pradesh published by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS). The data for the current study was acquired from the official NFHS repository, accessible through the designated Demographic and Health Survey Program website. From NFHS 4 to NFHS 5, per cent change in stunting, wasting and underweight are 15.55(↓), 26.27(↓) and 23.14(↓) respectively whereas anaemia among children increased by 4.14 per cent (↑). Stunting and anaemia among children under five had a positive (p<0.01) correlation with the anaemia among mothers, add to this, severe wasting and anaemia were all prevalent (p<0.05) with children of mothers with BMI<18.5 kg/m². Population of stunted children could be checked (p<0.05) with “educated mothers (more than 10 years of education)”. “Exclusive breast feeding” had a significant negative (p<0.05) correlation with wasting and anaemia can be minimized by advocating adequate diet along with/without breastfeeding after six months of age(p<0.05). Sanitation was also considered as a driving force in affecting the nutritional outcomes. The findings of the study indicate that apart from diet and nutrition, socio-economic indicators are equally responsible for malnutrition among children less than five years of age. The study addresses an important public health and development issue—child malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh—which is highly relevant to agricultural, nutritional, and rural development research. The district-level analysis provides useful insights for localized policy interventions and aligns with national nutrition priorities