Year: 2025 | Month: July-September | Volume: 10 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 83-91
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20250310
Correlates of Childhood Stunting in Manipur: Analysis from the 5th Round of the National Family Health Survey
Lhangum Hengoulal Khongsai
Department of Economics Manipur University, Imphal-795003, Manipur, India
ABSTRACT
Background: Malnutrition represents one of the most severe public health challenges globally, affecting all population groups; however, young children are particularly susceptible due to their elevated nutritional requirements for optimal growth and development. Growth retardation, commonly manifested as stunting, serves as a key indicator of chronic undernutrition and has been incorporated as a core metric under the Sustainable Development Goals (Target 2.2).
Methods: This study utilizes data from the child recode file of the 7th round of the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS-7). The prevalence of stunting among children under five years of age was determined in accordance with the WHO Child Growth Standards, using STATA software for analysis. The study sample comprised 2,643 children below the age of five. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with childhood stunting.
Results: The analysis indicates that male children are significantly more likely to experience stunting compared to their female counterparts (OR = 1.38, p < 0.01). Maternal education emerged as a significant predictor of stunting, with children of mothers lacking formal education exhibiting a higher likelihood of being stunted compared to those whose mothers attained higher education levels (OR = 2.29, p < 0.001). Additional determinants of stunting included household wealth index, birth size of the child, age of the child, and the type of sanitation facilities available.
Keywords: Stunting, malnutrition, Manipur, children, wealth index, correlates.