Prevalence and Change in State-Level Growth Indicators Among Children Aged Younger Than 5 Years in 36 States in India, 2006–2021a
| 2006 Prevalence, % (95% CI) | 2016 Prevalence, % (95% CI) | 2021 Prevalence, % (95% CI) | 2006–2016bAnnualized Change, PP (95% CI) | 2016–2021bAnnualized Change, PP (95% CI) | P Value for Overall Difference in Annualized Changec | P Value for Within-State Difference in Annualized Changec(n=30) | Poshan Abhiyaan Target for 2022d | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All India | ||||||||
| Stunting | 47.8 (47, 48.7) | 38.4 (38, 38.7) | 35.5 (35.1, 35.8) | −0.9 (−1.0, −0.9) | −0.6 (−0.7, −0.5) | .10 | <.01 | 26.4 |
| Wasting | 20.0 (19.4, 20.6) | 21.1 (20.8, 21.4) | 19.3 (19, 19.6) | 0.1 (0, 0.2) | −0.4 (−0.4, −0.3) | <.05 | .17 | 9.1 |
| Underweight | 42.4 (41.6, 43.3) | 35.7 (35.4, 36.1) | 32.1 (31.8, 32.5) | −0.7 (−0.8, −0.6) | −0.7 (−0.8, −0.6) | .42 | .09 | 23.7 |
| Overweight | 1.5 (1.4, 1.7) | 2.1 (2.0, 2.2) | 3.4 (3.3, 3.6) | 0.1 (0.0, 0.1) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.3) | .22 | <.01 | - |
| Rural | ||||||||
| Stunting | 50.5 (49.6, 51.5) | 41.1 (40.8, 41.5) | 37.3 (36.9, 37.7) | −0.9 (−1, −0.8) | −0.8 (−0.9, −0.7) | .27 | <.01 | 29.1 |
| Wasting | 20.9 (20.2, 21.6) | 21.5 (21.2, 21.8) | 19.5 (19.1, 19.9) | 0.1 (0, 0.1) | −0.4 (−0.5, −0.3) | .06 | .56 | 9.5 |
| Underweight | 45.6 (44.6, 46.5) | 38.2 (37.9, 38.6) | 33.8 (33.4, 34.1) | −0.7 (−0.8, −0.6) | −0.9 (−1.0, −0.8) | .29 | .02 | 26.2 |
| Overweight | 1.2 (1.1, 1.4) | 1.8 (1.7, 1.9) | 3.2 (3.1, 3.3) | 0.1 (0, 0.1) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.3) | −.23 | <.01 | - |
| Urban | ||||||||
| Stunting | 39.5 (37.9, 41.0) | 31.0 (30.3, 31.8) | 30.1 (29.3, 30.9) | −0.8 (−1, −0.7) | −0.2 (−0.4, 0) | .01 | .01 | 19 |
| Wasting | 17.0 (16.0, 18.1) | 20.0 (19.4, 20.7) | 18.6 (18.0, 19.2) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.4) | −0.3 (−0.5, −0.1) | .02 | .16 | 8 |
| Underweight | 32.7 (31.2, 34.2) | 29.1 (28.4, 29.8) | 27.4 (26.6, 28.1) | −0.4 (−0.5, −0.2) | −0.4 (−0.6, −0.1) | .49 | .79 | 17.1 |
| Overweight | 2.6 (2.1, 3.0) | 2.8 (2.5, 3.0) | 4.2 (3.9, 4.5) | 0 (0, 0.1) | 0.3 (0.2, 0.4) | .17 | <.01 | - |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; NFHS, National Family Health Survey; PP, percentage points; SD, standard deviation.
↵aValues are survey-weighted estimates and 95% confidence intervals. Data for 2006, 2016, and 2021 come from NFHS-3, NFHS-4, and NFHS-5, respectively. Child stunting was defined as height-for-age < −2SD, child wasting was defined as weight-for-height < −2SD, child underweight was defined as weight-for-age < −2SD, and child overweight was defined as weight-for-height > 2SD.
↵bAnnualized change is mean annual absolute change in prevalence for 36 states reported by NFHS surveys in percentage as (%) per annum.
↵cThe overall difference for 2006–2016 and 2006–2021 annualized change estimates was tested using z-tests. Within-state differences for 2006–2016 and 2006–2021 annualized change estimates were tested using paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test for 30 states which were available across rounds; Andhra Pradesh values used for Telangana.
↵dPOSHAN Abhiyaan target is estimated as prevalence in 2016 minus targeted annual reduction of 2% for stunting and underweight in children. We additionally used a target of 2 percentage points per year for wasting.
Note: Additional details on geographical boundaries are presented in Supplement 1 Note 1.