"EXPLORING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF MALNUTRITION IN GUJARAT: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH"

Abstract

Gujarat, often lauded as one of India's most prosperous states with a robust industrial sector, grapples with persistent challenges such as poverty, unemployment, food security, and malnutrition. Despite its economic prowess, Gujarat struggles to effectively address malnutrition and undernutrition issues, as highlighted by data from the NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4. Despite the implementation of various schemes and policies, Gujarat has yet to fully harness their potential to significantly reduce malnutrition rates. This study offers an overview of the nutritional landscape across Gujarat's districts, drawing comparisons with NFHS-4 data and exploring potential determinants and variations among districts. While NFHS-5 data indicates an increase in the prevalence of stunted and severely wasted children under five, there's a slight improvement in the prevalence of wasted children. The study also notes improvements in immediate determinants and nutrition-specific interventions coverage, such as households with electricity and improved drinking water. Additionally, it examines successful strategies adopted by states with better nutritional outcomes to provide insights for Gujarat. Districts in Gujarat are categorized based on nutritional indicators into top-priority, priority, average, and front-runner districts.