Chronic diseases are the leading causes of disability and premature death among the elderly population in India. The study, using data from the 75^thround of the NSSO survey (N = 44,631), examined the prevalence and determinants of chronic diseases among the population aged 60+ in India by applying bivariate and logistic regression analyses and used a non-linear decomposition technique to understand the urban-rural differences in the prevalence of chronic diseases. About 21% of the elderly in India reportedly have at least one chronic disease. Seventeen percent elderly in rural areas and 29% in urban areas suffer from a chronic disease. Hypertension and diabetes account for about 68% of all chronic diseases. The prevalence of chronic diseases is the highest in Kerala (54%), followed by Andhra Pradesh (43), West Bengal (36), and Goa (32). Those with higher levels of education, staying in urban areas, those who are economically dependent on others, staying alone or without spouse and children, and belonging to wealthy households have a higher likelihood of having a chronic disease. The probability of having a chronic disease is 1.15 times higher among urban residents as compared to their rural counterparts. Elderly rural women, compared to elderly rural men, and never-married, widowed, and divorced elderly urban women, compared to married elderly urban men, are significantly more likely to suffer from chronic ailments. Differences in education, wealth status, and caste are the three most significant contributors to the urban-rural gap in chronic diseases. The high risk of chronic diseases among certain subsets of the elderly population must be recognized as a key public health concern. The findings of our study will likely help promote healthy ageing in India.

Background: Low birth weight (LBW) predisposes physical and mental growth failure and premature death among infants. Studies report that LBW predominately explains infant mortality. However, existing studies rarely demonstrate the phenomenon of both observed and unobserved factors, which may influence the likelihood of birth and mortality outcomes simultaneously. In this study, we identified the spatial clustering of the prevalence of LBW along with its determinants. Further, the relationship between of LBW and infant mortality, considering the unobserved factors, has been explored in the study.Methods: Data for this study have been extracted from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) round 5, 2019-21. We used the directed acyclic graph model to identify the potential predictors of LBW and infant mortality. Moran’s I statistics have been used to identify the high-risk areas of LBW. We applied conditional mixed process modelling in Stata software to account for the simultaneous nature of occurrences of the outcomes. The final model has been performed after imputing the missing data of LBW.Results: Overall, in India, 53% of the mothers reported their babies’ birth weight by seeing health card, 36% reported by recall, and about 10% of the LBW information was observed as missing. The state/union territory of Punjab and Delhi were observed to have the highest levels of LBW (about 22%) which is much higher than the national level (18%). The effect of LBW was more than four times larger compared to the effect in the analysis which does not account for the simultaneous occurrence of LBW and infant mortality (marginal effect; from 12 to 53%). Also, in a separate analysis, the imputation technique has been used to address the missing data. Covariates’ effects showed that female children, higher order births, births that occur in Muslim and non-poor families and literate mothers were negatively associated with infant mortality. However, a significant difference was observed in the impact of LBW before and after imputing the missing values.Conclusions: The current findings showed the significant association of LBW with infant deaths, highlighting the importance of prioritising policies that help improve the birth weight of new-born children that may significantly reduce the infant mortality in India.

Background: In the 21^st century, India is still struggling to reduce the burden of malnutrition and child mortality, which is much higher than the neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Shri Lanka. Preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) predispose early-age growth faltering and premature mortality among children below the age of five. Thus, highlighting the determinants of LBW and PTB is necessary to achieve sustainable development goals. Objective: The present study provides macro-level estimates of PTB and LBW and aims to highlight the nature of the association between various demographic, socioeconomic, and maternal obstetric variables with these outcomes using a nationally representative dataset. Methods: Data on 170,253 most recent births from the National Family health survey (NFHS-5) 2019–21 was used for the analysis. The estimates of PTB and LBW are measured by applying sample weights. The correlates of LBW and PTB were analyzed using logistic models. Results: There were cross-state disparities in the prevalence of PTB and LBW. In India, an estimated 12% and 18% of children were LBW and PTB, respectively, in 2019–21. Maternal obstetric and anthropometric factors such as lack of antenatal care, previous caesarean delivery, and short-stature mothers were associated positively with adverse birth outcomes such as LBW and PTB. However, a few correlates were found to be differently associated with PTB and LBW. Mothers belonging to richer wealth status had higher chances of having a preterm birth (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.11–1.20) in comparison to poor mothers. In contrast, the odds of having LBW infants were found to be increased with the decreasing level of the mother’s education and wealth quintile. Conclusions: In India, PTB and LBW can be improved by strengthening existing ante-natal care services and evaluating the effects of the history of caesarean births on future pregnancies.

Background: Infants born with low birth weight (LBW), i.e. less than 2500g, is considered an important factor of malnutrition in Asia. In India, research related to this issue is still neglected and limited. Evidence exists that a large number of child deaths occur in India due to maternal and child malnutrition-related complications. Moreover, it has been found that the cost of malnutrition in India results in a significant reduction of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thus, in this current context, this study aims to explore the contribution of low birth weight to childhood undernutrition in India. Methods: The study used data from the 5^th round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), a large-scale survey conducted in India. The survey collected information from 176,843 mothers and 232,920 children. The study used the last birth information (last children born 5 years preceding the survey) due to the detailed availability of maternal care information. Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted to determine the percentage distribution of outcome variables. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to examine the association between LBW and undernutrition (stunting, wasting, and underweight). The study also used the Fairlie decomposition analysis to estimate the contribution of LBW to undernutrition among Indian children. Results: The results show that childhood undernutrition was higher in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The results of the logistic regression analysis show that infants born with low birth weight were more likely to be stunted (OR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.41–1.50), wasted (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.27–1.37), and underweight (OR = 1.76; 95% CI: 1.70–1.82) in their childhood compared to infants born without low birth weight. The findings from the decomposition analysis explained that approximately 14.8% of the difference in stunting, 10.4% in wasting, and 9.6% in underweight among children born with low birth weight after controlling for the individuals' selected characteristics. Conclusion: The findings suggest that LBW has a significant contribution to malnutrition. The study suggests that policymakers should prioritize strengthening maternal and child healthcare schemes, particularly focusing on antenatal and postnatal care, as well as kangaroo mother care at the grassroots level to reduce the burden of LBW and undernourished children.

Background: Anaemia among women is a public health problem with associated adverse outcomes for mother and child. This study investigates the determinants of women’s anaemia in two Bengals; West Bengal (a province of India) and Bangladesh. These two spaces are inhabitated by Bengali speaking population since historic past. The study argues that open defecation, contraceptive method use and food consumption patterns are playing crucial role in explaining anaemia.Methods: Using non-pregnant women belonging to different religious groups, we analyzed a total of 21,032 women aged 15–49 from the nationally representative cross-sectional surveys, i.e., Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS-VI, 2011) and National Family Health Survey (NFHS round 4, 2015–16). We performed spatial, bivariate and logistic regression analyses to unfold the important risk factors of anaemia in two Bengals.Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 64% in West Bengal and 41% in Bangladesh. The significant risk factors explaining anaemia were use of sterilization, vegetarian diet and open defecation. Further, women who used groundwater (tube well or well) for drinking suffered more from anaemia. Also, younger women, poor, less educated and having more children were highly likely to be anaemic. The study also indicates that those who frequently consumed non-vegetarian items and fruits in West Bengal and experienced household food security in Bangladesh were less prone to be anaemic. Hindus of West Bengal, followed by Muslims of that state and then Hindus of Bangladesh were at the higher risk of anaemia compared to Muslims of Bangladesh, indicating the stronger role of space over religion in addressing anaemia. Unlike West Bengal, Bangladesh observed distinct regional differences in women's anaemia.Conclusions: Propagating the choices of contraception mainly Pill/ injection/IUDs and making the availability of iron rich food along with a favourable community environment in terms of safe drinking water and improved sanitation besides better education and economic condition can help to tackle anaemia in limited-resource areas.