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Underweight and Pregnant: Designing Universal Maternity Entitlements to Improve Health

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  • Diane Coffey
  • Payal Hathi

Abstract

Poor maternal nutrition in India is a major cause for concern. The depth of India’s maternal nutrition problems is evident in its high neonatal mortality, widespread underweight pre-pregnancy, low weight gain during pregnancy and high rates of maternal anaemia. Poor maternal nutrition has negative consequences for the health and economic productivity for the next generation. Existing government programmes are insufficient to address widespread maternal malnutrition. With the passage of the National Food Security Act, which legislates a universal maternity entitlement, the government has a new opportunity to address poor maternal nutrition. This article posits that maternity entitlements should be used to encourage weight gain during pregnancy, and discusses the promise of such a programme as well as its potential limitations. It also recommends ways of designing and administering a maternity entitlements programme that would improve its chances for success.

Suggested Citation

  • Diane Coffey & Payal Hathi, 2016. "Underweight and Pregnant: Designing Universal Maternity Entitlements to Improve Health," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 10(2), pages 176-190, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:inddev:v:10:y:2016:i:2:p:176-190
    DOI: 10.1177/0973703016662095
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    Cited by:

    1. Coffey, Diane & Spears, Dean, 2019. "Neonatal Death in India: Birth Order in a Context of Maternal Undernutrition," IZA Discussion Papers 12288, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Coffey, Diane & Srivastav, Nikhil & Priya, Aditi & Verma, Asmita & Franz, Nathan & Kumar, Alok & Spears, Dean, 2025. "Excess neonatal mortality among private facility births in rural parts of high-mortality states of India: Demographic analysis of a national survey," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 379(C).
    3. Drèze, Jean & Khera, Reetika & Somanchi, Anmol, 2021. "Maternity Entitlements in India: Women's Rights Derailed," SocArXiv v5mc6, Center for Open Science.
    4. Kekre, Aishwarya & Mahajan, Kanika, 2023. "Maternity support and child health: Unintended gendered effects," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 880-898.
    5. Spears, Dean, 2020. "Exposure to open defecation can account for the Indian enigma of child height," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    6. Taniya Sah & Rituparna Kaushik & Neha Bailwal & Neisetuonuo Tep, 2019. "Mohalla Clinics in Delhi: A Preliminary Assessment of their Functioning and Coverage," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 13(2), pages 195-210, August.
    7. repec:osf:socarx:v5mc6_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Aishwarya Kekre & Kanika Mahajan, 2022. "Maternity Support, Child Health and Unintended Gendered Effects," Working Papers 84, Ashoka University, Department of Economics.

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