Maternal Employment, Malnutrition and Morbidity among Children in Tamilnadu, India

Alesan Thangasamy, Kamaraj College

Over the last two decades India has experienced substantial social and economic progress. However, the benefits of economic growth have not been even across the society. This is well reflected in the high level of malnutrition and morbidity observed among the poor socio-economic groups in India. In this paper we examine the level, pattern and correlates of malnutrition among children in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Our focus is on the role of maternal employment and other household level socioeconomic factors in the incidence and prevalence of malnutrition and morbidity among children. We will use data from the National Family Health Survey of 1992-93. The survey included about 1500 households in Tamil Nadu. Among other things, the survey collected data on height and weight for all living children aged under 5 at the time of survey in 1992. We will construct two measures of malnutrition, one for stunting and the other for wasting. We will employ multilevel regression models to estimate the relationship between socioeconomic factors and incidence of malnutrition and morbidity among children. The findings will have significant implications for health and public policies in India.