Food and Nutritional Status: Overall Assessment and COVID-19 Studies

Abstract

Malnutrition remains a global health concern, especially in India with high child mortality rates. While some studies examine nutrient inadequacy in a child’s diets, a lack of comprehensive assessment of underlying ecosystem variables remains a gap, especially so for underprivileged communities with a higher prevalence of malnutrition. The adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the challenges in addressing malnutrition. Against the same backdrop, the study investigates four research objectives. First, explore the bio-ecological factors contributing to malnutrition among children in India. Second, identify the ecosystem factors leading to poor nutrient intake, taking into account the specified importance of dietary diversity. Third, in light of the pandemic and its significant impact on livelihoods, examine the effect of economic factors on consumption of major food groups and the mediating effect of emotional distress and government support in unskilled and semi-skilled employees during the pandemic. Lastly, uncover food factors associated with children’s school dropout in low-income households using CHAID algorithm. The analysis, firstly, uncovered the significance of vaccination and revealed a paradox in maternal working status. Secondly, on comparing three subgroups—low and high wealth index, presence / absence of health problems (diarrhoea, fever, and cough), and gender, the results indicated lower wealth index significantly affecting nutrient intake in female children, highlighting non-egalitarian gender attitudes. Thirdly, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and substantial reduction in monthly earnings, economic downturn had a negative impact on major food groups consumption. However, notably, government support showed a non-significant role. Lastly, however, for school dropout rate, the analysis underscored role of government ration support in enhancing starch staples consumption and emphasized the importance of ensuring three regular meals a day during the pandemic to reduce children's school dropout. The thesis explores these and other significant results for their policy implications.