Increasing disparity in childhood undernutrition across the caste groups in India: Trends during 1992-2021

Abhishek Kumar, Population Council
Mary Shenk, The Pennsylvania State University

High level and slow improvement in childhood undernutrition is a serious public health and developmental challenge in India – stunting among children below the age of five years was 38% in 2105-16 and 36% in 2019-21. To reduce childhood undernutrition for achieving. “Health and well-being for all” (SDG 03) and “eliminating geographic and social inequality in health” (SDG 10); requires understanding the disparity in childhood undernutrition among social groups. We examined trends in prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting among children <3 years belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Class and other castes in India and geographic regions using multi-rounds of the National Family Health Survey data conducted during 1992-2021. We also examined interaction effect between castes and household wealth and mothers’ education. The disproportionate burden of childhood undernutrition among SC and ST is not necessarily be associated with low level of education and poor households’ economic status within them. The findings suggest region-specific and social group-based strategies to reduce the burden of childhood undernutrition, and for achieving “health and well-being for all” as well as “eliminating geographic and social inequity in child health in the country.

Keywords: Health and Morbidity, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination, Population and Development

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