Household wealth and child health in India

Abstract

Using data from the Indian National Family Health Surveys (1992–93, 1998–99, 2005–06), this study examined how the relationship between household wealth and child health evolved during a time of significant economic change in India. The main predictor was an innovative measure of household wealth that captures changes in wealth over time. Discrete-time logistic models (with community fixed effects) were used to examine mortality and malnutrition outcomes: infant, child, and under-5 mortality; stunting, wasting, and being underweight. Analysis was conducted at the national, urban/rural, and regional levels, separately for boys and girls. The results indicate that the relationship between household wealth and under-5 mortality weakened over time but this result was dominated by infant mortality. The relationship between wealth and child mortality stayed strong for girls. The relationship between household wealth and malnutrition became stronger over time for boys and particularly for girls, in urban and (especially) rural areas.

Keywords:

• India
• 1990s
• NFHS
• wealth index
• infant mortality
• child mortality
• under-5 mortality
• stunting
• wasting
• underweight

Notes

1. Satvika Chalasani is at the Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, Ninth Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA. E-mail: [email protected]. Shea Rutstein is at ICF International.