Tenth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Despite having various public health programs and a steady economic growth, a high percentage of children are born with low birth weight, and the progress is quite sluggish in the past ten years in India. Integrated Child Development Services provides supplementary nutrition to pregnant women aiming to improve nutrition during pregnancy and increase child birth weight. In this paper, I use data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 2005-2006 and 2015-2016 to evaluate the outcomes of supplementary nutrition on children’s birth weight. I use Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to study whether the average birth weight differed between the groups; one who receives supplementary nutrition and other who doesn’t. Additionally, I examine whether supplementary nutrition is available to the areas with poor economic background. I find that average birthweight is lower for the group who receives supplementary nutrition for the entire sample, for rural and urban population and population belongs to all income quartiles in 2005-2006. In 2015-2016, average birthweight is lower who receives supplementary nutrition for the entire sample, rural population and the group belongs to lowest income quartile. I find that average birthweight is not statistically different for urban population and the groups belong to middle and higher income quartiles. Additionally, I find that ICDS fails to provide supplementary nutrition to the areas with lower wealth index. Lack of proper implementation of the program in the poor areas and menus without balanced combination of nutrients may contribute to negative outcome of supplementary nutritional program on child birth weight.