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Background <p>The plight of Indian children, still grappling with undernutrition and infections, is a pressing issue with long-term adverse effects on their health and socioeconomic status. Empowering women and promoting children’s health are critical components of attaining Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Thus, empowering women in India is not just essential, but urgent for attaining overall development and societal advancement.</p> Objective <p>This study aims to develop an index of women's empowerment and explore its potential impact on children's nutritional outcomes in India, offering valuable insights for future interventions and policies.</p> Methods <p>We examined individual-level data from women (15–49&#xa0;years) and children (0–59&#xa0;months) gathered during the 2019–2021 Demographic and Health Surveys in India. With a total of 14,926 participants, we created a specific women empowerment index with the help of principal component analysis. Employing chi-square tests in bivariate analysis, we scrutinized child nutritional outcomes across diverse socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, our utilization of binary logistic regression models allowed us to unveil the impactful relationship between the women's empowerment index and child nutritional outcomes in households.</p> Findings <p>31.89% of women in the country are highly empowered, with another 38.34% and 29.77% being moderately and lowly empowered, respectively. Low levels of women's empowerment in India were associated with an increased risk of childhood stunting and wasting compared to high levels.</p> Conclusions <p>The present study has developed a nation-specific measure for assessing the progress of women in India. This study highlights the urgent need for empowering women in India to ensure better health outcomes for their children.</p>

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Women’s Empowerment and Nutritional Well-being of Children in India: A Path Towards a More Secure Future

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年4月30日

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  • Venkata Naga Sindhuja Padigapati,
  • Alka Singh,
  • Praveen Koovalamkadu Velayudhan,
  • Anbukkani Perumal,
  • Subhashree Sahu,
  • Nitin Sharma

摘要

Background

The plight of Indian children, still grappling with undernutrition and infections, is a pressing issue with long-term adverse effects on their health and socioeconomic status. Empowering women and promoting children’s health are critical components of attaining Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Thus, empowering women in India is not just essential, but urgent for attaining overall development and societal advancement.

Objective

This study aims to develop an index of women's empowerment and explore its potential impact on children's nutritional outcomes in India, offering valuable insights for future interventions and policies.

Methods

We examined individual-level data from women (15–49 years) and children (0–59 months) gathered during the 2019–2021 Demographic and Health Surveys in India. With a total of 14,926 participants, we created a specific women empowerment index with the help of principal component analysis. Employing chi-square tests in bivariate analysis, we scrutinized child nutritional outcomes across diverse socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, our utilization of binary logistic regression models allowed us to unveil the impactful relationship between the women's empowerment index and child nutritional outcomes in households.

Findings

31.89% of women in the country are highly empowered, with another 38.34% and 29.77% being moderately and lowly empowered, respectively. Low levels of women's empowerment in India were associated with an increased risk of childhood stunting and wasting compared to high levels.

Conclusions

The present study has developed a nation-specific measure for assessing the progress of women in India. This study highlights the urgent need for empowering women in India to ensure better health outcomes for their children.