Health and nutrition profile of children in rural Kerala: A call for an action

Child health as an area of policy option has been given much attention by health economists, public health experts, planners etc. children are vital to the nation’s present and her future. The increasing interest on child health and nutrition has been justified on many ways. Under five years old children are targeted for priority care under various maternal and child health programmes, but these age groups (5-15 years) remain a neglected lot. The recent health statistics of Kerala tell a dark narrative of degenerating public health system. This study analyses the problems of children’s health and nutritional status in rural Kerala with special reference to Kasargod district, focusing on Protein-Energy Malnutrition of children, and traces the link between health and nutrition in the family and the acquisition of human capital, recognizing the interdependencies between children’s nutritional status and health and subsequent learning ability. The multivariate analysis of the effects of selected demographic and socioeconomic factors on child malnutrition indicates that the strongest predictors of child nutrition in rural Kerala are child’s age, child’s birth order, mother’s education, and household standard of living. Nutritional deficiency among children adversely affects children’s overall health, educational attainment, physical and mental development.