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Health care utilization, socioeconomic factors and child health in India.
Authors: Bhargava A, Guntupalli AM, Lokshin M.
Source: Journal of Biosocial Science, November 2011 43 : pp 701-715, DOI: 10.1017/S0021932011000241
Topic(s): Child health
Immunization
Country: Asia
  India
Published: NOV 2011
Abstract: Summary This paper models the proximate determinants of height, weight and haemoglobin concentration of over 25,000 Indian children using data from the National Family Health Survey-3. The effects of public and private health care service utilization, food consumption patterns and maternal health status on child health were investigated in a multidisciplinary framework. Methodological issues such as potential endogeneity of explanatory variables and the appropriateness of combining height and weight as the body mass index were tackled. The results from models for children's heights and weight showed beneficial effects of child vaccinations against DPT, polio and measles, and negative effects of not utilizing government health facilities. The models for children's haemoglobin concentration indicated beneficial effects of food consumption patterns and treatment against intestinal parasites. The results provide several insights for improving child health in India.