Page 124 - IJPS-10-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Child malnutrition in rural India

Table 1. Child malnutrition status in West Bengal by districts
Child underweight (%) Child stunting (%) Child wasting (%)
NFHS‑4 NFHS‑5 Difference NFHS‑4 NFHS‑5 Difference NFHS‑4 NFHS‑5 Difference
(%) (%) (%)
West Bengal 31.6 32.2 1.9 West Bengal 32.5 33.8 4 West Bengal 20.3 20.3 0.0
Districts Districts Districts
Kolkata 19.6 32.9 67.9 North24 23.8 32.4 36 Darjeeling 10.6 20.6 94.3
Paragana
Nadia 19.3 25.1 30.1 South24 27.3 36.7 34 Kolkata 17.4 29.3 68.4
paragana
North24 18.3 23.6 29.0 Kolkata 24.2 29.6 22 Nadia 10.7 17.6 64.5
Paragana
Darjeeling 25.3 31.6 24.9 Darjeeling 30 34.3 14 Haora 14.6 21.3 45.9
Hugli 28.7 33.4 16.4 Nadia 23.3 26.1 12 Dakshin 17.1 22.8 33.3
Dinajpur
South24 27.8 32.2 15.8 Bardhaman 32.5 36.2 11 Uttar 14 16 14.3
paragana Dinajpur
Bardhaman 33.7 36.3 7.7 Uttar 40.4 44.8 11 Paschim 28 30.3 8.2
Dinajpur Medinipur
Dakshin 28.1 30.2 7.5 Malda 37.8 40.5 7 Hugli 18.5 20 8.1
Dinajpur
Jalpaiguri 24.6 25.4 3.3 Paschim 29.4 31.1 6 South24 20.1 21.2 5.5
Medinipur paragana
Paschim 40.3 40 −0.7 Dakshin 32.9 31.9 −3 Jalpaiguri 17.7 18.3 3.4
Medinipur Dinajpur
Bankura 39.8 38.8 −2.5 Hugli 30.1 28.9 −4 North24 13.6 13.3 −2.2
Paragana
Birbhum 43.1 41.8 −3.0 Murshidabad 41.9 39.8 −5 Bankura 27 26 −3.7
Haora 28.4 27.3 −3.9 Jalpaiguri 31.2 28.9 −7 Murshidabad 17.5 16.3 −6.9
Maldah 37.2 35.3 −5.1 Birbhum 40.5 37 −9 Bardhaman 25.8 23.3 −9.7
Murshidabad 34.6 32.4 −6.4 Bankura 34 30.3 −11 Maldah 22.8 20 −12.3
Purba 32.8 30.6 −6.7 Koch Bihar 32.9 28.7 −13 Birbhum 29.5 25.5 −13.6
Medinipur
Uttar 34.7 32 −7.8 Purba 29.9 25.8 −14 Purulia 34.6 29.4 −15.0
Dinajpur Medinipur
Purulia 58.2 46.3 −20.4 Puruliya 45.5 36.9 −19 Koch Bihar 20.1 16.8 −16.4
Koch Bihar 29.3 22.5 −23.2 Haora 34.6 27.5 −21 Purba 24.5 15.5 -36.7
Medinipur
Source: NFHS-4 and NFHS-5

2. Data and methodology both NFHS-4 (2015 – 16) and NFHS-5 (2019 – 21), the
prevalence of underweight children in Paschim Medinipur
2.1. Data source district was 40%, which exceeded the average level of West
The present study utilized primary data collected from Bengal. Therefore, the present study selected Jhargram
Gopiballavpur-II Community Development block in the district (once part of the Paschim Medinipur), which
Jhargram district of South-Western West Bengal, India, has eight Community Development block, from which
during April to May 2017. Officially carved out from Gopiballavpur-II block was selected purposely for this
Paschim Medinipur district on April 4, 2017, Jhargram study. There were 175 villages in the Gopiballavpur-II
district has since become the 22 district of West Bengal. block, among which only 20 villages were randomly
nd
Paschim Medinipur is one of the districts in West Bengal selected and ten households were purposively chosen from
with the highest prevalence of underweight children. In each selected village, yielding a final sample consisting of

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 118 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0324