Abstract
In India, women and children continue to experience food insecurity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the Rajasthan Nutrition Project (RNP) led to changes in 1) dietary habits and nutrition, and 2) indicators of gender equality, female autonomy, and empowerment. This study surveyed women belonging to self-help groups who were pregnant or who had young children. Over the course of the intervention, significant improvements were seen in the following indicators: breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months, food insecurity of children and mothers, household decision-making, communication, mobility, and domestic violence. These findings suggest that the RNP is a promising intervention for improving nutrition and female autonomy in Rajasthan, India. Additional research is needed to determine if the RNP would be equally as effective in other regions of India, or in populations outside of India.
Highlights
As of 2019, India ranked 102nd of 133 countries in the Global Hunger Index study of food insecurity [1]
The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether the Rajasthan Nutrition Project (RNP) led to changes in 1) dietary habits and nutrition, and 2) indicators of gender equality, female autonomy, and empowerment
These findings suggest that the RNP is a promising intervention for improving nutrition and female autonomy in Rajasthan, India
Summary
As of 2019, India ranked 102nd of 133 countries in the Global Hunger Index study of food insecurity [1]. Research shows that there is an association between female empowerment, household decision-making power and autonomy, and nutritional status of a mother and her children [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. Mothers that lack decision-making power/autonomy have an increased risk of their children being stunted [6] [9] [10]. An association has been seen between female mobility, paid labor and control over income, assets, and resources (financial autonomy), and the nutritional status of both a mother and her children [6]. A study from Andhra Pradesh, India found that women with higher autonomy, which included greater access to money and freedom of mobility, were significantly less likely to have a malnourished child [11]. Women in South Asia have lower empowerment status and less decision-making power than women in Sub-Saharan Africa [12]
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