Is Vitamin A Supplementation Programme Reaching the Most Vulnerable Children in India? New Evidence from Odisha.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Surveys in 2002-05 indicated that the prevalence of severe forms of vitamin A deficiency in India was three-fold higher among children from schedule tribe (ST) households than among non-tribal children. Scheduled tribes constitute about 24% of the total population of the state of Odisha. This presentation documents the performance of Odisha's vitamin A supplementation (VAS) programme in reaching the districts and blocks with a higher concentration of tribal population. Methods: A sub-group, disaggregated analysis of VAS coverage was conducted. Districts and blocks were divided into five quintiles with the highest quintile comprising the 20% of districts and blocks with the highest concentration of ST households. Results: The full VAS coverage in Odisha increased from 61% in 2006 to 97% in 2011. Overall, full VAS coverage figures increased in all quintiles between 2006 and 2011. However, the most significant increases were recorded in the quintiles with the lowest ST concentration, while the increases in the highest quintiles were more modest. Since 2006, the districts and blocks with the highest proportion of ST children consistently had the lowest full VAS coverage. The estimated number of non-fully covered children decreased from 1.2 million in 2006 to 0.1 million in 2011, but ST children still represent about 32.3% of those who are not fully-covered.