Borkotoky Kakoli, Unisa Sayeed, Gupta Ashish Kumar
*Population Council,India Country Office,New Delhi,India.
†Department of Mathematical Demography & Statistics,International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS),Mumbai,India.
J Biosoc Sci. 2018 Jan;50(1):26-52. doi: 10.1017/S0021932017000013. Epub 2017 Feb 20.
This study aimed to identify the determinants of nutritional status of children in India with a special focus on dietary diversity at the state level. Household-level consumption data from three rounds of the Consumer Expenditure Survey of the National Sample Survey Organization (1993-2012) were used. Information on the nutritional status of children was taken from the National Family Health Survey (2005-06). Dietary diversity indices were constructed at the state level to examine diversity in quantity of food consumed and food expenditure. Multilevel regression analysis was applied to examine the association of state-level dietary diversity and other socioeconomic factors with the nutritional status of children. It was observed that significant variation in childhood stunting, wasting and underweight could be explained by community- and state-level factors. The results indicate that dietary diversity has increased in India over time, and that dietary diversity at the state level is significantly associated with the nutritional status of children. Moreover, percentage of households with a regular salaried income in a state, percentage of educated mothers and mothers receiving antenatal care in a community are important factors for improving the nutritional status of children. Diversity in complementary child feeding is another significant determinant of nutritional status of children. The study thus concludes that increasing dietary diversity at the state level is an effective measure to reduce childhood malnutrition in India.
本研究旨在确定印度儿童营养状况的决定因素，特别关注邦一级的饮食多样性。使用了国家抽样调查组织三轮消费者支出调查（1993 - 2012年）的家庭层面消费数据。儿童营养状况信息取自全国家庭健康调查（2005 - 2006年）。构建邦一级的饮食多样性指数，以考察食物消费量和食物支出的多样性。应用多水平回归分析来检验邦一级饮食多样性和其他社会经济因素与儿童营养状况之间的关联。研究发现，社区和邦一级的因素可以解释儿童发育迟缓、消瘦和体重不足方面的显著差异。结果表明，印度的饮食多样性随时间有所增加，且邦一级的饮食多样性与儿童营养状况显著相关。此外，邦内有固定薪金收入的家庭百分比、受过教育的母亲百分比以及社区中接受产前护理的母亲百分比是改善儿童营养状况的重要因素。儿童辅食喂养的多样性是儿童营养状况的另一个重要决定因素。该研究因此得出结论，在邦一级增加饮食多样性是减少印度儿童营养不良的有效措施。
