Socioeconomic Determinants of Child Malnutrition in India : Evidence from NFHS-III

Prevalence of malnutrition among under-five children is very high in many developing countries in the World. As a step towards reducing the prevalence, there is need to identify the important determinants of malnutrition in the specific context. This study examines the important socioeconomic determinants of malnutrition among under-five children in India. Descriptive analyses and regression analyses are used to explore the determinants of child malnutrition from National Family Household Survey-III, 2005-06 data on around 38,000 children from all parts in India. Descriptive results of Z-Score (below -2 SD) indicate that 48.0%, 42.5% and 20.89% of the sample children under five were stunted, underweight and wasted respectively. Regression analyses (OLS and Ordered Probabilistic models) show that the significant determinants of malnutrition are age and birth history of child, mother’s education, mother’s underweight, wealth of the households, household size and presence of toilet in the households. To reduce the present high rate of malnutrition, the study suggests the targeting of women with education programmes and provision of healthy environment