Developments in Undernutrition in Indian Children Under Five: A Decompositional Analysis

Peng Nie, Anu Rammohan (), Wencke Gwozdz () and Alfonso Sousa-Poza
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Anu Rammohan: University of Western Australia
Wencke Gwozdz: Copenhagen Business School

No 9893, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This study uses two waves (2004–2005 and 2011–2012) of the nationally representative Indian Human Development Survey to conduct a systematic decompositional analysis of the demographic and socio-economic factors contributing to undernutrition among children under five in India. The analytic method combines three types of decomposition: Blinder-Oaxaca, non-linear, and unconditional quantile. Child undernutrition is measured by z-scores for height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and for the Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure (CIAF). Although our results show modest improvements on some measures, undernutrition among India's young children remains widespread. The improvements we do identify are partly attributable to changes in household wealth and maternal characteristics like body mass index and education.

Keywords: India; child undernutrition; decomposition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 I15 I31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2016-04
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published as 'Changes in Child Nutrition in India: A Decomposition Approach' in: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2019, 16 (10), 1815

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