Nutritional status of socioeconomically disadvantaged children below 5 years: A cross-sectional study from Kerala, India

Abstract

Undernutrition among children under the age of five remains untracked in India. One in five children are undernourished even in Kerala, a developed south Indian state well known for its egalitarian development. The aim of this paper is to understand the social, economic, and political dimensions of undernutrition among children of age 6–60 months belonging to low socioeconomic households in Kerala. 468 children (50% girls) were surveyed. The prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting among the study children were 25.6%, 24.4%, and 14.4%, respectively. Acute illnesses, underweight of mothers, low standard of living, and not utilizing Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Public Distribution System (PDS) increased the risk of children being undernourished. The study found that children below 5 years from low socioeconomic strata had a higher risk of being undernourished, proving the vicious cycle of poverty and undernutrition. The association between the nutritional statuses of mothers and children indicates the vulnerability of multiple members from poor households to be malnourished. The utilization of ICDS and PDS was found to improve nutritional status and hence, the state has to ensure that the benefits of these initiatives are reaching the neediest in adequate quantity and quality.