ABSTRACT
Background: The socio-environmental aspects of southern Assam reflect a general pattern of backwardness. Moreover, child healthcare resources in the region are inadequately used, leading to low vaccination coverage. Given this background, this paper attempted to comprehend wealth-based inequality in full vaccination in rural areas of southern Assam. Methodology: Based on a multistage cluster sampling approach, 360 children of 12-23 months were selected from the study area. To identify the predictors of a child, a non-linear model was estimated by using the generalized linear model (GLM) approach followed by Erreygers decomposition technique to quantify the wealth inequality in the obtained predictors in explaining the disparity in full vaccination. Result: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination recorded the highest vaccination coverage, at nearly 90% and the lowest was observed for the measles vaccine, around 61 percent. Slightly more than half of the eligible children (54 percent) were vaccinated against all the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP)-recommended vaccines. The decomposition analysis revealed that the occupation of the child's father, maternal age, birth order of the child, and health-seeking behavior such as antenatal care (ANC) were the prime factors related to inequality in full vaccination in the region. Conclusion: Vaccination coverage in the region has improved over time, however, full vaccination is concentrated towards the economically advantaged section of the society in rural southern Assam. Targeted, context-specific, and expanded government initiatives could aid in addressing the overall wealth-related full vaccination inequalities in the valley.
ABSTRACT
Despite years of health and medical advancement, children still suffer from infectious diseases that are vaccine preventable. India reacted in 1978 by launching the Expanded Programme on Immunization in an attempt to reduce the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Although the nation has made remarkable progress over the years, there is significant variation in immunization coverage across different socioeconomic strata. This study attempted to identify the determinants of wealth-based inequality in child immunization using a new, modified method. The present study was based on 11,001 eligible ever-married women aged 15-49 and their children aged 12-23 months. Data were from the third District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS-3) of India, 2007-08. Using an approximation of Erreyger's decomposition technique, the study identified unequal access to antenatal care as the main factor associated with inequality in immunization coverage in India.
Subject(s)
Immunization/statistics & numerical data , Socioeconomic Factors , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Communicable Diseases/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Family Characteristics , Female , Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data , Health Surveys , Humans , India/epidemiology , Infant , Male , Middle Aged , Pregnancy , Prenatal Care/statistics & numerical data , Vaccination Coverage/statistics & numerical data , Young AdultABSTRACT
Child malnutrition is considered to be the key risk factor for illness during adolescence and is responsible for about one-third of child deaths globally. Historically tribal communities have lagged behind the general population in terms of most socioeconomic aspects, and one such aspect is the nutritional status of children. The present study analyzes regional variations in child malnutrition and its association with women's empowerment in the tribal communities of India. The investigation is based on secondary data compiled from India's third National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Both bivariate and multivariate techniques were used to analyze data. We found a conditional inverse association between child malnutrition and women's empowerment in tribal communities. It is conditional in the sense that women's empowerment is effective when other factors supposed to influence nutritional status are proactive. Policy prescriptions are discussed.
Subject(s)
Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Diet , Malnutrition/prevention & control , Models, Psychological , Nutritional Status , Power, Psychological , Women's Rights , Adolescent , Adult , Asian People , Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena/ethnology , Child, Preschool , Developed Countries , Diet/adverse effects , Diet/ethnology , Diet/psychology , Female , Food Supply/economics , Humans , Incidence , India/epidemiology , Male , Malnutrition/epidemiology , Malnutrition/ethnology , Malnutrition/etiology , Middle Aged , Mothers/education , Nutrition Surveys , Nutritional Status/ethnology , Principal Component Analysis , Risk , Young AdultABSTRACT
The purpose of this study is to identify the determinants of malnutrition among the tribal children in India. The investigation is based on secondary data compiled from the National Family Health Survey-3. We used a classification and regression tree model, a non-parametric approach, to address the objective. Our analysis shows that breastfeeding practice, economic status, antenatal care of mother and women's decision-making autonomy are negatively associated with malnutrition among tribal children. We identify maternal malnutrition and urban concentration of household as the two risk factors for child malnutrition. The identified associated factors may be used for designing and targeting preventive programmes for malnourished tribal children.
