Informatics Publishing Limited

Srilakshmi M. Raj ¹, Ruwanthi Ekanayake ², Kiera Crowley ³, Meenakshi Bhat ⁴, Jayarama Kadandale ⁵, Prabhu L. Pingali ⁶

Affiliations
1 Tata Cornell Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA; Centre for Human Genetics, Electronic City, Bengaluru 560 100, IN
2 Department of Biology and Society, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, US
3 Tata Cornell Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, US
4 Centre for Human Genetics, Electronic City, Bengaluru 560 100, IN
5 Centre for Human Genetics, Electronic City, Bengaluru 560 100, IN
6 Tata Cornell Institute, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, IN

Abstract

Childhood stunting remains a public health concern in India. In Karnataka, the districts vary substantially in stunting prevalence. Using the NFHS-4 and AidData GEO datasets, we tested the hypothesis that ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ districts in Karnataka show different contributions to stunting. We found that for 30 environmental and health factors, Bengaluru appears to be distinct from the other districts. Using a mixed linear model approach, we found that for the entire state, and in both wet and dry districts, preceding birth interval, altitude-adjusted haemoglobin level and child age showed significant correlations with height for age (HFA). The wet districts showed an additional association between maternal age and child HFA. However, interaction effects also differed among the three conditions. Our results suggest that subtle variations should not be ignored when considering factors impacting child health outcomes.

Keywords

Childhood stunting in Karnataka, environment, genetics, nutrition, public health.

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