Double Burden of Malnutrition: Indian Regional Perspective

Over nutrition are emerged as public health problems in India for the last two decades. Under this backdrop, this paper attempts to investigate nutritional status of women in India by regions and its relation to the prevalence of chronic energy deficiency and obesity and to identify the major determinants of the burden of malnutrition in India. Data drawn from the National Family Health Survey-III, conducted 2005-06, on body mass index of 78262 currently married women, ages 15-49 years.

Data revels that regional differences is noticed in the levels of underweight and obesity in India. Eastern states show highest incidence rate of underweight (35.5percent) and the northern states recorded lowest incidence of CED (19.5percent). Southern states had highest prevalence rate of obese women (26.2percent) and lowest rate is found in eastern and northeastern states. Burden of both chronic energy deficiency and obesity are almost equally present in four zones out of six, indicate that there is a need for special public health programs that are able to address both under weight and overweight.