Does Household Structure Affect the Nutritional Status of Children? An Assessment of Indian Population

Anand Kumar Singh Parihar , National Institute of Technology

India’s awakening to all forms of malnutrition could be a significant game changer for the world’s prospects of reaching the SDGs. India is home to more than one-third of the world’s stunted children. Latest national family health survey examined the effects of mother’s nutrition, education, socioeconomic factors and association of household structure with nutritional status of children. By using anthropometric indices: height-for-age and weight-for-height, Children belonging to ST caste and lower socio economic status are more severely malnourished and percentage of thin women is high in nuclear family rather than non-nuclear family belonging to ST category and having higher illiteracy rate. Positive relation between household structure, socio economic status and nutritional status is seen in both the states. Better socio economic status of women and literacy programs could play an important role in improving the nutritional status of children and women.

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 Presented in Session 2. Children & Youth