Exploring Vulnerability of Undernutrition among Wives

Abstract

Generally, at household level, cultural norms and practices regarding intra-household food allocation and distribution, and other demographic and socio-economic factors determine the extent of nutritional status among women. Arguably, husbands’ background attributes such as educational attainment, employment, nutritional status and health habits such as smoking and drinking could also contribute in determining their wives’ nutritional status. It was hypothesized that risk of undernourishment is higher among wives whose husbands are less educated, engaged in low-paid jobs, undernourished and possessing unhealthy lifestyle. Using data from the third round of National Family Health Survey, 2005–06, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey that provided information on BMI level of 34,062 couples, the present study found that the prevalence of undernutrition among wives was high cutting across husbands’ differential attributes as well as other social, economic and cultural covariates. Protective factors include husbands’ tertiary employment, husbands’ well nourishment and healthy lifestyle, high social and economic status and living in urban areas. Programmes and policies should focus on the issues related to household nutritional status instead of focusing only women and children of a household.