MAPPING CHANGES in DISTRICT LEVEL PREVELANCE of CHILDHOOD STUNTING in INDIA in LAST THREE DECADES (1998 to 2021): AN APPLICATION of SMALL-AREA ESTIMATION TECHNIQUE

Swati Srivastava, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

District-level estimates of nutritional indicators are required for targeted response and prevention efforts but are not available at the local level before 20’s. This study used model-based small-area estimation (SAE) techniques, linking data from the 1998-99 NFHS with the 2001 Indian Population Census, to derive district-level estimates of childhood stunting for the years 1998-99. The study further determined the level and pattern of childhood stunting in 640 districts of India from 1998–2021. Estimates obtained by SAE suggest that childhood stunting ranges from 20.7% in South Goa district to 64.4% in Dhaulpur district during 1998–99. The diagnostic measures confirm the validity and reliability of the model and reveal considerable intra- and inter-state variations. Results of geospatial analysis indicate a substantial reduction in childhood stunting between 1998 and 2021. Levels of childhood stunting vary widely across Indian districts, often masked by state-level mean estimates. The district-level estimates obtained from this study might be helpful in framing decentralized policies and implementation of vertical programs to enhance the efficacy of various nutrition interventions in priority districts of the country. Further research will go for some urban-rural estimation of childhood stunting using NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 and small area estimation methodology.

Keywords: Small area estimation, Data and Methods, Linked data sets , Population projections, forecasts, and estimations

See extended abstract.