Factors affecting child malnutrition under five years age in Bihar, India

The purpose of this study is to examine the socio-economic factors responsible for child malnutrition under the age of five in Bihar, a state of India currently the most malnourished and poor in terms of child health outcomes across the country. The analysis is based on nationally representative cross-section data compiled by the International Institute of Population Studies (IIPS), Mumbai, with regard to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 2015-16. The percentage of stunted, wasted and underweight has been treated as dependent variables, while main explanatory variables of child malnutrition are female education, children's place of residence, wealth index of household, family planning, sex of child, religion and mother’s age cohort. In order to examine the association between explanatory variables and malnutrition, multilevel logistic regression models have been applied. Results indicate a high incidence of less stunted, wasted and underweight children in case of an educated mother beyond primary education compare to mothers with no education. Wealth index found to be a very significant indicator in the sense that children from the poorest families endured the burden of undernutrition more than those from the richest families. The modern method of using contraception is also an important indicator which influences the rate of underweight in children. These results suggest that improving maternal education, economic status and contraceptive use can have a positive effect on child nutritional status and mortality.