Prevalence of Double Burden of Malnutrition among Indian Pre-School Children : an Analysis of Cross-Sectional DLHS-4 Data from 23 States

Abstract: Background: Double burden of malnutrition means co-existence of under- and overnutrition in a community, household or an individual. It is observed in countries undergoing nutrition transition. Research on double burden among Indian children aged under five has been scarce. I therefore aim to studythe prevalence of double burden of malnutrition in this age group. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based data from District Level Household and Facility Survey 4 conducted in 2012-2013 in 23 Indian States and Union Territories were used for the analysis. Prevalence of overweight, stunting and anaemia were examined as main outcomes at the community level. Simultaneous overweight and stunting or anaemia in same child were the main outcomes for individuallevel prevalence. Households with stunted child and overweight adult were also examined. Results: In this sample, 40.1 % of children were stunted, 74.2 % anaemic and 8.2 % overweight. Simultaneous overweight and stunting as well as overweight and anaemia both affected about 5.5 % of children. Stunted children had a higher prevalence of overweight than non-stunted children. No such association was seen for anaemia. At household level, 26.5 % of households had an overweight adult and a stunted child. Discussion: Double burden of malnutrition is emerging among Indian children aged under five and should be included in national nutrition policy. Undernutrition is still bigger concern than overnutrition, but overweight is spreading also to lower wealth quintiles. Further studies should be done to examine this phenomenon at the national level.