Maternal Autonomy and Child Nutrition Outcomes in Tamil Nadu Evidence from NFHS-5 data (2019–21) - Copy.pptx

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1. Maternal Autonomy and Child Nutrition Outcomes in Tamil Nadu : Evidence from NFHS-5 Data (2019–21) Anandaselvasankar . BPT., MPH. Health Education Instructor Health and Family welfare Training Centre, The Gandhigram Institute of Rural Health , Dindigul Phone :[phone]

2. Background Malnutrition continues to be a major contributor to child illness, death, and developmental challenges worldwide. The WHO and Sustainable Development Goals strive to eradicate all types of malnutrition by 2030, but progress remains inconsistent (1). According to NFHS-5, 36% of Indian children under five are stunted, 19% wasted, and 32% underweight. Even though Tamil Nadu performs better but still reports 25% stunting, 14.5% wasting, and 22% underweight in this age group(2). Maternal autonomy greatly influence child nutrition and healthcare. (3)(4).

3. Primary Objective To e xamine association between maternal autonomy and child nutrition outcomes in Tamil Nadu

4. Need for the study Limited evidence exists on maternal autonomy and child nutrition in Tamil Nadu, despite women’s empowerment being a key but underexplored determinant of child well-being Insights can guide integrated policies linking nutrition programs with gender empowerment .

5. Methods Data source: NFHS-5 (2019–21 ) – Tamil Nadu – Kids Data Study Population : 884 Child –Mother pairs (Mothers who is currently married or cohabiting (15-49 Years) and with children <5 years with valid anthropometry measurement) Measurements: Anthropometry → HAZ (Height for Age), WAZ (Weight for Age) , WHZ (Weight for Height) Autonomy → Education, Employment Type, Control Over Income, Decision-making, Mobile Ownership, Asset Ownership & attitude towards Domestic Violence. Analysis : Descriptive statistics ,Multiple Logistic Regression.

6. Results

7. Women Empowerment Employment Category Distribution of the mothers

8. Women Empowerment

9. Women Empowerme nt

10. Children Nutrition Status Stunting Percentage Underweight Percentage Wasting Percentage Normal 77.12% Normal 82% Normal 86.89% Stunted 14.28% underweight (moderate) 13.84% wasted (moderate) 9.60% Severely stunted 8.60% severely underweight 4.16% severely wasted 3.51%

11. Multiple Logistic Regression analysis of nutritional outcomes in children under 5 Maternal Autonomy Stunted OR (p -value) Wasted OR (p -value) Underweight OR (p -value) Interpretation Education 0.95 (0.014) 0.973 (0.32) 0.963 (0.108) Protective against stunting ; not significant for other outcomes. Employment Status 1.038 (0.849) 0.77 (0.311) 0.887 (0.581) No significant effect across outcomes. Mobile Ownership 0.859 (0.523) 0.902 (0.727) 0.726 (0.197) Slight protective trend for underweight, but not significant. Bank Account Ownership 0.906 (0.754) 1.388 (0.472) 1.795 (0.167) No significant effect; elevated odds for underweight. Cohabitation (18 and above) 1.063 (0.783) 0.31 (0) 0.555 (0.007) Strong protective effect against wasting and underweight. Decision Making 1.024 (0.717) 0.964 (0.642) 0.964 (0.595) No significant effect across outcomes. Attitude towards wife beating 1.09 (0.639) 0.765 (0.278) 0.796 (0.284) Slight protective trend for underweight and wasting, but not significant.

12. Conclusion Maternal education is significantly linked to lower stunting, indicating that educated women are more likely to have healthier children . Cohabitation (18+) significantly reduces the risk of underweight and wasting, highlighting the positive impact of maternal maturity on child health . However , other empowerment indicators such as mobile phone ownership, access to bank accounts, autonomy in decision-making, and attitudes towards wife beating did not show statistically significant associations with any of the child nutrition outcomes. All three regressions, implying that additional factors—such as environmental conditions, dietary diversity, and healthcare access—may be necessary to fully explain child malnutrition. These findings suggest that while certain aspects of maternal autonomy, particularly composite measures and maternal age, are influential, a more holistic approach is needed to effectively address child nutrition challenges. Future interventions should integrate empowerment strategies with broader socioeconomic and health-focused initiatives to improve child well-being.

13. References UNICEF, WHO, World Bank Group. Levels and Trends in Child Malnutrition: Key Findings of the 2021 Edition. New York: UNICEF; 2021. International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) and ICF. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21: India. Mumbai: IIPS; 2021. Singh , B., & Singh, S. K. (2025). The evolving nexus of women’s empowerment and child nutrition in India. Public Health Nutrition. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12419225 / Paul , P., & Saha , R. (2022). Is maternal autonomy associated with child nutritional status? Evidence from a cross-sectional study in India. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 18(3), e13364.