Regional Distribution of the Anthropometric Failure among Under-five Children and Its Determinants in India
Ramendra Nath Kundu1, Juri Borah2, Susmita Bharati3
1Research Associate-I, Indian Council of Medical Research - Centre for Ageing & Mental Health, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Insights
Over half of Indian children under five experience anthropometric failure, with higher rates in Western, Eastern, and Central regions. Key determinants include anemia, gender, parental status, birth order, maternal education, and socioeconomic factors.
Area of Science:
- Child Health and Nutrition
- Public Health
- Demography
Background:
- Undernutrition is a critical health issue in developing countries like India.
- Anthropometric failure, indicated by stunting, underweight, or wasting, affects many children.
- Understanding its prevalence and drivers is crucial for effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the distribution of anthropometric failure in Indian children under five.
- To identify the key determinants influencing anthropometric failure across different regions of India.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019-2021).
- Employed Pearson's chi-square test for variable association.
- Applied binary logistic regression to identify explanatory factors for anthropometric failure.
Main Results:
- Over half (52.18%) of Indian children under five exhibit anthropometric failure.
- Highest prevalence observed in Western (57.88%), Eastern (56.58%), and Central (53.94%) regions.
- Significant associations found with anemia, male gender, parental absence, higher birth order, lower maternal education, rural residence, tribal/caste status, nuclear families, and lower wealth index.
Conclusions:
- Regional disparities in anthropometric failure necessitate tailored nutrition programs.
- Addressing socioeconomic and demographic determinants is vital for improving child nutrition outcomes.
Background:
Undernutrition in children seems to be one of the major health issues in developing nations including India. Stunting, underweight, and wasting are the three most often used anthropometric indicators to evaluate childhood undernutrition. Children who exhibit one or more indicators of undernutrition are considered as anthropometric failure (AF). The present study aims to determine the distribution and determinants of anthropometric failure in children under the age of five in different regions of India.
Methods:
NFHS-5 data, collected between 2019 and 2021, were utilized for the study. Pearson's chi-square (χ2) test was used to look into the association between categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was used to find the explanatory factors that influence anthropometric failure.
Results:
More than half of the under-five children (52.18%) in India are suffering from anthropometric failure, out of these West (57.88%), East (56.58%), and Central (53.94%) regions have covered half of the total occurrence. State-wise, Bihar (61.66%), followed by Gujarat (60.26%), and Jharkhand (58.05%) have recorded the highest rates of anthropometric failure. Anthropometric failure is higher among anemic children, boys, parent not alives, the higher number of birth order, lower educated mothers, rural dwellers, belonging to scheduled tribes and scheduled castes communities, living in nuclear families, and having lower household wealth indexes than their other counterparts.
Conclusion:
These aspects imply that regional determinants should be taken into consideration when implementing child nutrition development programs.
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