Association of maternal height and body mass index with nutrition of children under 5 years of age in India: Evidence from Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016–18

Background and Objectives: Child undernutrition remains an area of public health concern across the globe, particularly in developing countries like India. Previous studies have focused on the association of maternal nutrition with premature pregnancy and birthweight of child, with few establishing the intergenerational effect but limited to select populations and geography. Methods and Study Design: This study used data from 35,452 children aged under 5 years and their biological mother from nationally representative Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) in India. The outcome variables were anthropometric indices: height-for-age, weight-for-height, and weight-for-age. The exposure variables were maternal height and body mass index (BMI). Multivariate regression analysis was used to examine the association between maternal height and BMI with child undernutrition. Results: Out of total number of mothers, 11.1% were short in stature and 28% were underweight. Of total number of children, 33.9%, 17.3% and 32.7% were stunted, wasted, and underweight respectively. Children born to mother with short stature were more likely to be stunted (OR=1.73, 95% CI 1.59-1.89), wasted (OR=1.26, 95% CI 1.12-1.41) and underweight (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.50-1.79). Similarly, children with underweight mother were more likely to be stunted (OR=1.63, 95% CI 1.53-1.73), wasted (OR=1.64, 95% CI 1.52-1.77) and underweight (OR=2.14, 95% CI 2.01-2.27). Conclusions: The study shows a strong association between maternal and child undernutrition demonstrating intergenerational linkage between the two. The national programme needs to focus on holistic and comprehensive nutrition strategy with targeted interventions to improve both maternal and child health

Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency among children and adolescents from a nationally representative survey in India

Objective: We carried out a secondary analysis of data of Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey 2016-18 to analyze the prevalence and predictors of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) among Indian children and adolescents. Results: The overall prevalence of VDD in preschool children (1-4 years), school age (5-9 years) children, and adolescents (10-19 years) was 13.7%, 18.2%, and 23.9%, respectively. Age, living in urban area, and winter season were significantly associated with VDD. Vegetarian diet and high-income households were the main risk factors observed in 5-19 years age category. Female sex and less than three hour of physical activity/week were independent risk factors among adolescents. Conclusion: The prevalence and determinants of VDD across different age-groups are reported, and these should be interpreted and addressed to decrease the burden of VDD in India