Child Undernutrition in India

We have constructed a composite indicator of anthropometric failure (CIAF) that refines the
Waterlow-3 tier classification, using a recent nation-wide household survey. The CIAF and
its disaggregation into subcategories of undernourished 5 years old children reveal a grimmer
story of child undernutrition than conventional anthropometric indicators do. Besides,
simultaneous occurrence of anthropometric failures (e.g. stunting and underweight, and
stunting, wasting and underweight) is pervasive. Our analysis of determinants of CIAF yields
some new insights-specifically, the important role of food prices. Investigation of the links
between different anthropometric failures and prevalence of infectious diseases (viz.
Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection), however, offers some justification for the
disaggregated classification of undernourished children used here. Specifically, those with
more than one failure were worse-off in this respect than children with no failure. There is a
strong case for income growth together with food price stabilisation in curbing child
undernutrition. Education has the desired effect but it is less strong than expected.
Improvement in the quality of home environment makes a difference too but it is not
conditional on income or wealth alone.