Ali Asif, Sen Susanta, Banerjee Amit, Chakma Namita
Department of Geography, The University of Burdwan, Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, India.
Nutr Health. 2024 Oct 29:2601060241292401. doi: 10.1177/02601060241292401.
Global healthcare and nutrition policies have not eliminated the pressing public health issue of undernutrition, which remains a paramount public health concern in countries like India, coinciding with overweight and obesity, in the form of dual burden of malnutrition. This study delves into the rural-urban differential in undernutrition among reproductive-aged women in India for targeted policy interventions and to achieve universal health coverage. Data from the recent iteration of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5; 2019-21) were utilized to examine the factors influencing rural-urban differentials in women's undernutrition. A set of logistic regression and Fairlie's decomposition analysis are employed to identify the associated covariates and understand the factors driving these differentials. The analysis reveals that rural women are significantly more vulnerable to undernutrition compared to urban counterparts, with factors such as education, wealth status, age, and dietary diversity playing key roles. The decomposition analysis of the rural-urban gap revealed that the variables considered in the study accounted for approximately 75% of the disparity. The difference in household wealth between rural and urban areas contributed about 63% of the explained gap, followed by educational status (16%), age group (11%), dietary diversity (8%), religion (5%), and media exposure (4%). The findings underscore the importance of targeted interventions addressing socio-economic inequalities to mitigate undernutrition among women in India. Enhancing access to education, improving economic opportunities, promoting dietary diversity, and challenging cultural norms are crucial steps towards achieving equitable nutritional outcomes and reducing the existing rural-urban disparity.
全球医疗保健和营养政策并未消除营养不良这一紧迫的公共卫生问题，在印度等国家，营养不良仍是一个至关重要的公共卫生问题，与超重和肥胖并存，形成了营养不良的双重负担。本研究深入探讨印度育龄妇女营养不良的城乡差异，以制定有针对性的政策干预措施并实现全民健康覆盖。利用最近一轮的全国家庭健康调查（NFHS - 5；2019 - 2021年）的数据来研究影响妇女营养不良城乡差异的因素。采用一组逻辑回归和费尔利分解分析来确定相关协变量，并了解驱动这些差异的因素。分析表明，与城市妇女相比，农村妇女更容易受到营养不良的影响，教育、财富状况、年龄和饮食多样性等因素起着关键作用。城乡差距的分解分析表明，研究中考虑的变量约占差距的75%。城乡家庭财富差异约占解释差距的63%，其次是教育程度（16%）、年龄组（11%）、饮食多样性（8%）、宗教（5%）和媒体曝光率（4%）。研究结果强调了针对社会经济不平等采取有针对性干预措施以减轻印度妇女营养不良状况的重要性。增加受教育机会、改善经济机会、促进饮食多样性以及挑战文化规范是实现公平营养结果和减少现有城乡差距的关键步骤。
