Determinants of nutritional status of Mother and Children: Evidence from 2017-18 PDHS

Abstract

Nutrition is a less focused area in Pakistan with less focus from the political side. Even after a lot of efforts, Pakistan has still been facing a higher number of malnutrition for both women and children. This study focuses on the determinants of nutritional status of both children and women in Pakistan. Demographic Health Survey (DHS) of 2017-18 has been used. The nutritional status of women is found using Body-Mass Index (Underweight, normal, overweight, & obese), and that of children is studied using stunting, wasting and underweight. Bivariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression are used. The results found that a higher percentage of children were wasted stunted and underweight in the rural areas than their urban equivalents. There is a higher percentage of rural women who are underweight than urban women, while a higher amount of urban women were obese than rural women. The probabilities of stunting, wasting and underweight were low among children from the richest households than their poor ones. The likelihood of being overweight and Obese than normal BMI were higher among women from well of households than women that were from the poorest households.