Page 123 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Child malnutrition in rural India

Socio-demographic characteristics 60 Underweight
Stunted
50
Child’scharacteristics
(Age, birth order, gender) 40 Wasted
Nutritional status
Mother’s characteristics Underweight Percentage (%) 30
(Age, education) (Low ‘weight-for-age’) 20
10
Household characteristics Stunting
(Caste) (Low ‘height-for-age’) 0
Wasting NFHS-1 (1992-93) NFHS-2 (1998-99) NFHS-3 (2004-05) NFHS-4 (2015-16) NFHS-5 (2019-21)
(Low ‘weight-for-height’)
Figure 2. Trend of nutritional status among children in West Bengal.
Household characteristics Note: The data about stunting and wasting for West Bengal are not
(Type of house, farm size) available in NFHS-1.
Source: NFHS-1, NFHS-2, NFHS-3, NFHS-4, and NFHS-5.
Household crop diversification
(Transformed Herfindahl index) To understand the district-level nutritional status

Figure 1. Conceptual framework of the study. among the children of West Bengal and its change over
a period of time, a simple percentage change analysis
(iv). Based on the above research questions, the key was performed using data from NFHS-4 and NFHS-5,
objectives of the study are as follows: covering the data in 2015 – 16 and 2019 – 21, respectively.
a) To understand the crop diversification and According to Table 1, the prevalence of child underweight
cropping intensity practiced among the rural and stunting had generally worsened over time (1.9% and
households; 4%, respectively), while there was no improvement in
b) To examine the linkage of socioeconomic child wasting. Through a district-level analysis, we found
characteristics, demographic characteristics, that Kolkata is the worst performing district in addressing
and household crop diversification with child the escalating prevalence of child underweight, with
malnutrition. a staggering 67% increase in underweight prevalence.
Nine districts, including Kolkata, manifested a worsening
1.2. An overview of prevalence of child malnutrition situation in which the number of underweight children
in West Bengal kept rising, and ten districts showed improvement in the

To understand the background of nutritional status prevalence of child underweight. Among the districts of
among children under 5 years old in West Bengal, this West Bengal, Koch Bihar emerged as the best performer
study analyzed the reports of National Family Health in tackling the child underweight conundrum after
Survey (NFHS), using data from NFHS-1 (1992 – 93), successfully reducing the prevalence by 23.2%. Regarding
NFHS-2 (1998 – 99), NFHS-3 (2005 – 06), NFHS-4 (2015 the child stunting issue, nine districts showed increasing
– 16), and NFHS-5 (2019 – 21). A simple percentage percentage of stunted children, whereas other ten districts
change analysis was carried out for each district in West showed decreasing percentage. The district which has
Bengal to illustrate the difference in the prevalence of performed the worst in controlling the child stunting issue
underweight, stunting, and wasting, based on data derived was North 24 Pargana (36%), while the best performer
from the latest two surveys, that is, NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, in the district was Haora (−21%). The problem of child
which have collected information on child malnutrition at wasting had deteriorated in ten districts over the same
district level (Table 1). period, among which Darjeeling was the worst performing
Based on Figure 2, the prevalence of child stunting district, although Paschim Medinipur remained at the top
had decreased over the time, from NFHS-2 (50.4%) to place for the highest prevalence of child wasting in West
NFHS-4 (32.5%), and slightly increased in NFHS-5 (33.8%). Bengal. On the other hand, Purba Medinipur emerged as
There were not much changes in the prevalence of child the clear winner in the rivalry for successfully lowering the
wasting even after two decades. The prevalence of child child wasting percentage (−36.7%). Overall, it is clear that
underweight had reduced over the time but remains a the nutritional status of children in West Bengal had not
matter of great concern as the latest percentage of child improved much, and worse still, the relevant parameters in
underweight recorded in NFHS-5 (2019 – 20) was still many districts had deteriorated over the period (NFHS-4
above 30% (32.2%). – NFHS-5).

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 117 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0324