Determinants of child malnourishment in Bihar: Evidence from NFHS-4, 2015-16
- Bihar Journal of Public Administration
- 20(2 S), Jul-Dec, 2023: p.576-592
Countries across the world devise various strategies to secure and improve children’s health and well-being. The social benefits of the nutritional interventions are larger than the cost and continuous evaluation of its benefit need institutional intervention. BIMARU states of India are still carrying the highest burden of malnourished children. According to NFHS-4 (2015-16), in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar together, nearly one in every two children is malnourished. The presence of child malnourishment in Bihar apparently appears pervasive, persistent and obstinate. Broadly, the study suggests devising multi-pronged strategies to confront this issue. The study highlights the unequal burden of malnourishment across social groups. SCs and STs children being in the lowest social standing show the highest prevalence of malnutrition than in OBCs and Others category. The study applies logistic regression to identify probable causes of malnourishment. The findings of the study are expected to enrich the understanding of child malnourishment in Bihar.- Reproduced