State-wise Malnutrition Analysis in India: Findings from NFHS III

Ashima Gupta

Abstract: A healthy, balanced diet is vital for maintaining health and fitness. A country with physically and mentally fit people can attain overall development much faster than the country with malnourished and weak people. The malnutrition may be caused by low dietary intake, infectious diseases, lack of appropriate care, and inequitable distribution of food within the household. The malnutrition experienced by children is difficult to readdress beyond a certain break-point since most of the development deficits and damages caused within the first two years of life are irreversible. This paper attempts to bring out the effect of wealth quintile and family size on children under five years of age among the major states of India by analysing the data from NFHS III.

Keywords: Malnutrition, Stunted, Wasted, Underweight, Wealth Quintile