TITLE:
The status of infant health in India
AUTHORS:
Susmita Bharati, Manoranjan Pal, Premananda Bharati
KEYWORDS:
Height-for-Age; Weight-for-Height; Weight for Age; Morbidity; Immunization Status; Infants; India
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.8D,
August
20,
2013
ABSTRACT:
This
paper investigates the present status of infant health in India through
percentages of infants who are undernourished, not immunized or diseased and
finds its relationship with socio-demographic variables. The relevant data
have been obtained from the Third National Family Health Survey which was
carried out in 2005-2006 in India. The sample consists of 7562 infants (i.e., children of less than 1 year). For
socio-demographic data, places of residence, sex of infants, ethnic
composition, religion and wealth index were considered. Considering the different
types of under-nutrition, it has been found from our data that the percentages
of undernourished infants range from 22 to 28 only. There are considerable
variations in the different types of immunization
status ranging from 17.9% opting for measles vaccination to 73.2% taking
BCG vaccination. Prevalence of morbidity also varies from 15 to 22 percent depending
on the three types of morbidity considered in this paper. Among the
socio-economic variables, mother’s education and wealth index have been found
to have profound effect on the nutritional status and also on morbidity of
infants but there is no impact found on the status immunization. Thus it gives
clear cut indications for the government and NGOs to take actions to ameliorate
poverty and to improve the level of education, especially of female population
in India.