Birth interval and childhood undernutrition: Evidence from a large scale survey in India

Background: The study of birth interval is important for maternal and child health. The long birth interval is favorable for maternal, child health, and nutritional outcomes. The present study is an attempt to explore the relationship between birth intervals and poor nutritional condition of children under five years of age in India. Methods: The unit of analysis is children under five years of age in India. The data come from the fourth round of Indian National Family Health Survey, 2015-2016. Bivariate and logistic regression model were used to explore the relationship between birth intervals and the poor nutritional status of children. Results: The logistic regression shows a 28% increase in stunting for those children born with a birth interval of less than 24 months. Also, there is a 26% increase in underweight for children of birth interval less than 24 months. It is evident that low birth weight, poor facilities during pregnancy are statistically associated with poor nutritional status of children. Conclusion: Therefore, the present study attempts to determine to what extent the length of preceding birth interval influences the child undernutrition and the result revealed that short birth intervals are associated with an increased risk of child stunting and underweight even after controlling the biological, social and behavioral predictors. The study suggests that interventions that aim to increase birth intervals, including family planning and reproductive health services, may be important in improving nutritional status in children.