Factors associated with nutritional status among mothers and children in India

Background: This study examined the relationships between child, maternal, health care utilization and household characteristics and nutritional status of both mother and child in India. Nutritional status is the best indicator of the global well-being of a society. In India 36 percent of children, under five years of age suffer from underweight due to acute under nutrition. Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from fourth round of National Family Health Survey. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were preformed to estimate the effect of independent variables on dichotomous dependent variables. Results: Result shows that prevalence of stunting among male and female children was 39.14% and 37.52% respectively. Prevalence of underweight and stunting increases with the increase in child age group. Prevalence of underweight was more between both the rural and poorer mothers. The odds of stunting among female children was significantly lesser than their male counterparts (OR=0.93). Children belong to the older mother were less likely to be underweight (OR=0.81 and 0.70 for the mother in the age group 25-34 and 35-49 years respectively). Household characteristics show a significant result for the risk of underweight among women. Conclusion: Finding suggests that child sex and age influence the nutritional status significantly. Analysis indicate that increasing maternal age and educational attainment have statistical significant and positive effect on both maternal and child nutritional status. Study also found that utilization of health care services has better impact on nutritional status of both mother and child.