Inequality in wealth among tribal families in Jharkhand and Odisha has affected poor children’s growth.
Children from poor tribal families in these States were stunted, underweight and appeared wasted (height for weight).
The observation was made based on an analysis of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) between 2006 and 2021 by a team of researchers from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology- Madras.
The team analysed the NFHS-3 (2005-06); 4 (2015-16); and 5 (2019-21) and studied the correlation between antenatal care visits and nutritional indicators. The researchers found that stunting, underweight and wasting were concentrated among ST children from poor households.
The overall trends show that stunting, underweight and wasting are still concentrated among ST children belonging to poor households in Jharkhand and Odisha. The pattern of absolute and relative inequality over the years does not show a uniform increase or decrease over the years in both States, as the researchers noted in their peer-reviewed article, Wealth inequalities in nutritional status among the tribal under-5 children in India: A temporal trend analysis using NFHS data of Jharkhand and Odisha States – 2006-21. by S. Rekha et al., published in the peer-reviewed journal Dialogues in Health.
The researchers found a correlation between the number of visits by women for antenatal care and the health of the children.
“We found a relatively lower coverage of ANC visits among ST as compared to forward castes,” the researchers wrote.
In Jharkhand, they found that if for the women of the richest households visited for ANC at 73%, then for the poorest households it was 30%.
S. Rekha, the first author of the study, said we take the ST as one homogenous group, but here we are trying to be a bit more specific by taking wealth inequality.
“We are saying that one group among the ST, with a higher income quintile, has improved. We cannot have different policies for the same group but understand how the wealthier groups have come out. This can be adapted for the other group,” she said.
The researcher said their study identified the need to pay attention to the poorer within the ST population, focus certain policies on them, and examine strategies that helped to improve the health outcomes of the wealthier ST households so that they can be adopted for the poor families as well.
V.R. Muraleedharan, a professor in the DoHSS at the institute, said progressively, access to healthcare has improved, as the NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) has shown. There is a need to understand each population pocket in order to analyse specific issues.
