The occurrence of overweight and obesity has increased in recent years in India. In this study, we investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of overweight/obesity among children aged 0–59 months in India. Using data from the 2015–2016 National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the research sample included 176,255 children aged 0 to 59 months. Bivariate and multivariate techniques were used to analyze children’s risk factors for overweight/obesity. We identified that the prevalence of overweight/obesity among children aged 0–59 was 2.6% in India. The study findings reveal that factors such as child sex, age, birth weight, birth rank, maternal education, number of children, age at marriage, mother’s BMI, media exposure, social group, and dietary diversity score were most significantly correlated with childhood overweight and obesity in India. Furthermore, we found that male children (ARR: 1.08) aged between 0 and 11 months (ARR: 3.77) with low birth rank (ARR: 1.24), obese (ARR: 1.81) children whose mothers married after the age of 18 (ARR: 1.15), children who belong to a scheduled tribe family (ARR: 1.46), and children who consumed 7–9 food items (ARR: 1.22) were at highest risk of being overweight and obese. However, breastfeeding (ARR: 0.85) and Muslim families (ARR: 0.87) appeared to be protective factors with respect to childhood overweight and obesity in India. Pertinent public health programs, clinical follow-up, and awareness about sedentary lifestyles can help to reduce overweight/obesity risks in children.

Diarrheal disease is a significant public health problem leading to mortality and morbidity among children aged 0–59 months in rural India. Therefore, the rationale of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and environmental predictors associated with diarrhea among under-five children in rural India. A total of 188,521 living children (0–59 months) were studied from the National Family Health Survey-4, (NFHS-4) 2015–2016. Bivariate and binary logistic regression models were carried out from the available NFHS-4 data for selected sociodemographic and environmental predictors to identify the relationship of occurrence of diarrhea using STATA 13.1. In rural India, children aged 12–23 months, 24–35 months, 36–47 months, and 48–59 months were significantly improbable to suffer diarrheal disease. Children of the female sex, as well as children of scheduled tribes (ST) and other backward classes (OBC), were less likely to experience diarrhea. The disease was more likely to occur among children of scheduled castes (SC); Muslim or other religions; children belonging to central, eastern, and western regions; children with low birth weight; as well as children with improper stool disposal and rudimentary roof materials. In the rural parts of India, sociodemographic and household environmental factors were most influential. Effective community education; improved handwashing practices; pure water supply; and proper waste disposal, including building and utilizing latrines, would help reduce the burden of diarrheal disease in children.