Page 121 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of

Population Studies

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Understanding relationships between

socioeconomic, household crop diversification,
and child malnutrition in rural Jhargram, West

Bengal, India

1
Kanchan Paira * and Moatula Ao 2
1 Department of Geography, Hijli College, Kharagpur, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, India
2 Department of Population Studies, Fakir Mohan University, Vyasa Vihar, Nuapadhi, Balasore,
Odisha, India

Abstract

In India, child malnutrition remains a huge, persistent challenge to tackle with
due to its complex and multidimensional nature. Malnutrition among children
under 5 years old can lead to cognitive and physical impediments. Therefore, the
objective of this study is to understand the determinants and the linkage of child
malnutrition with socioeconomic characteristics and household crop diversification.
In this study, the primary data collected from 200 households in the rural area of
Jhargram district in West Bengal, India, during April to May 2017 were analyzed.
For determining the child nutritional status, the World Health Organization (WHO)
growth standard measurement was analyzed using the WHO-anthro software. The
*Corresponding author: transformed Herfindahl index was calculated to illustrate the crop diversification.
Kanchan Paira Statistical methods, such as bivariate analyses and logistic regression models, were
(pairakanchan002@gmail.com)
used for data analysis. The study found that 36% of the children in the sample had
Citation: Paira, K. & Ao, M. (2024). stunted growth, 35.5% were underweight, and 22.5% were identified as wasted. It
Understanding relationships
between socioeconomic, household was found that cropping intensity was very high (183%) in the region, with low crop
crop diversification, and child diversification. Results from logistic regression models found a significant relationship
malnutrition in rural Jhargram, West between child malnutrition and birth order, mother’s age, caste status, type of house,
Bengal, India. International Journal and farm size of the household. The study also found that low crop diversification of a
of Population Studies, 10(2):115-128.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0324 household was significantly associated with higher malnourishment level among the
children. Taken together, these findings indicate the importance of socioeconomic
Received: March 12, 2023
and demographic characteristics as well as crop diversification for improving the
Accepted: September 15, 2023 nutritional status of children.
Published Online: November 3, 2023
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). Keywords: Agriculture; Cropping pattern; Cropping intensity; Crop diversification; Child
This is an Open-Access article malnutrition; Nutrition
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is 1. Introduction
properly cited.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Globally, 795 million people suffered from chronic undernourishment during 2014 – 2016
Publishing remains neutral with period (Food and Agriculture Organization [FAO], 2015). In less developed countries,
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional malnourishment is primarily caused by improper dietary intake or hunger. Despite the
affiliations. rapid economic growth achieved, malnutrition remains a persistent problem in India

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 115 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0324