Nutrition Education and Child Development: Does Reiteration Matter?

Monika Setia, Pennsylvania State University
Arnold Degboe, Pennsylvania State University

Past research has shown that nutrition education imparted through public programs, like Integrated Child Development Program (ICDP), have potential to address the problems related to high proportion of undernourished children in India. Using the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2005-2006 data on 4,713 children of ages 24 months and less, this study will conduct logistic regression analysis to understand how the extent to which nutritional education is emphasized to women during pregnancy and breastfeeding is associated with child development outcomes. Specifically, the study assesses if reiteration of benefits of nutrition imparted as part of nutrition education during both phases – pregnancy and breastfeeding - have greater impact on child’s development (measured by stunted, underweight, and wasted) compared to the education imparted only during one of the two phases or none at all. Additionally, we assess if despite repeated emphasis on nutrition through education programs there exist gender differences in child development?