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<p>Despite India’s economic progress, reducing the enormous burden of childhood anaemia and eliminating the associated social divide remains a critical public health challenge. This study estimates the inequality in anaemia prevalence between Hindu Upper Caste (HUC) and socioeconomically marginalized, i.e. Hindu Scheduled Caste and Tribe (HSC and HST) children from 2005–2006 to 2019–2021 using the National Family Health Survey-3, 4, and 5 data. It also measures the relative contributions of mother, child, household, and geographic space in elucidating this social divide in childhood anaemia using Fairlie decomposition analysis. Findings show a consistently higher anaemia burden among HSC and HST, compared to HUC children, although the disparity has significantly declined over the past 15&#xa0;years. Key contributors to the anaemia gap include child stunting, maternal anaemia, education, household’s socioeconomic status, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) conditions. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions, such as improving early childcare practices, providing adequate iron supplementation to children and pregnant mothers, enhancing mothers’ knowledge of anaemia management, and improving household WASH conditions, with a specific focus on marginalized groups for reducing the overall burden of childhood anaemia by reducing intergroup inequality. These measures are crucial for India’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, and 10.2.</p>

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Inequality in Childhood Anaemia Among Indian Hindus (2006–2021): A Comparison of Scheduled Castes and Tribes with Upper Castes

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月10日

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  • Pritam Ghosh

摘要

Despite India’s economic progress, reducing the enormous burden of childhood anaemia and eliminating the associated social divide remains a critical public health challenge. This study estimates the inequality in anaemia prevalence between Hindu Upper Caste (HUC) and socioeconomically marginalized, i.e. Hindu Scheduled Caste and Tribe (HSC and HST) children from 2005–2006 to 2019–2021 using the National Family Health Survey-3, 4, and 5 data. It also measures the relative contributions of mother, child, household, and geographic space in elucidating this social divide in childhood anaemia using Fairlie decomposition analysis. Findings show a consistently higher anaemia burden among HSC and HST, compared to HUC children, although the disparity has significantly declined over the past 15 years. Key contributors to the anaemia gap include child stunting, maternal anaemia, education, household’s socioeconomic status, and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) conditions. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions, such as improving early childcare practices, providing adequate iron supplementation to children and pregnant mothers, enhancing mothers’ knowledge of anaemia management, and improving household WASH conditions, with a specific focus on marginalized groups for reducing the overall burden of childhood anaemia by reducing intergroup inequality. These measures are crucial for India’s progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, and 10.2.