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" Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Nutritional Status of Primary and Upper Primary School Children in Jaunpur District, Uttar Pradesh "
Gudakesh
Singh, S.K.
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1111906
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| Doc. No
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TLpq2506515055
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| Main Entry
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Gudakesh
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Singh, S.K.
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| Title & Author
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Mid-Day Meal Scheme and Nutritional Status of Primary and Upper Primary School Children in Jaunpur District, Uttar Pradesh\ GudakeshSingh, S.K.
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| College
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International Institute for Population Sciences University
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| Date
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2020
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| student score
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2020
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Page No
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355
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| Abstract
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Objectives: Study attempts to understand the several aspects of the Mid-day Meal Scheme, i.e., differences in participation, discriminatory practices based on caste, infrastructural and operational challenges in managing the Scheme, etc. An effort has been made to measure nutritional intake and deficiencies, household food security and dietary diversity. The study provides details of the health and nutritional status of children and how food security and dietary diversity and participation in the MDM affect the nutritional status of the schoolchildren. Hypothesis: The study aims to answer specific hypotheses as, caste and religious differences in participation in the MDM Scheme, association between caste and nutritional status of children, relationship between the household food security, dietary diversity and nutritional status of children. Methodology: The study collected information about 455 children of 5 to 14 years, from 18 primary and upper primary schools of Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, through a cross-sectional survey. The study calculated the nutritional intake and household nutrition deficiency, food security and dietary diversity. The study has assessed the nutritional status of children using three anthropometric indices, Stunting, BMI and Underweight. Bivariate and multivariate analysis have been used to meet specific objectives. Findings: The study revealed that more than half of the households were OBC and one-third of SCs. The majority of covered households were from the poor section of society. Three-fourths of all children included in the study avail MDM regularly or mostly. Participation of various social groups was not uniform, a relatively higher proportion of children of Muslim, SC and poor households always eat MDM. Study suggest that there were no issues of caste discrimination, no such incident has been reported in the past few years. However, a sizable number of children bring their plates because their parents do not want their child to use plates used by other castes. This study also affirmed that a large proportion of mothers want the Scheme to be continued. It has been found that most of the schools lack the necessary facilities. Unavailability storeroom, dining hall and kitchen, no use of LPG, lack of soap and plates, non-functional toilets and poor arrangements of water, drainage and waste disposal facilities in the School affect the smooth running of the Scheme. Consumption of all three nutrients (calorie, protein and fat) was found lower among the SC and OBC. The average per consumer intake of calorie, protein, and fat showed a diminishing pattern with dwindling of socioeconomic status. About 14 percent of the households were in the category of low dietary diversity, and 58 percent were under medium dietary diversity. Two-thirds of the households were food insecure with hunger and one fourth were food insecure without hunger. SC, OBC and poor households were found to be more prone to low dietary diversity and food insecurity. Around 29 percent of children suffered from diarrhoea and more than one-third had fallen ill in the past month. Study reveals that onethird of children of 5-14 years were stunted, 8 percent had low BMI and 35 percent of children of 5 to 10 years were underweight. Children who avail MDM were more likely to be stunted and have low BMI. It may be because most of the children who participate in the Scheme belong to poor, food insecure, and households with low dietary diversity. Household food security revealed a significant and positive effect on stunting and low BMI. Age of the child, washing hands before eating, religion, type of house, and toilet facility in the household are significantly associated with stunting, underweight and low BMI. Study suggests sensitizing teachers, guardians and children to eliminate discrimination on caste lines and to encourage children of all castes and religions to participate in Scheme. The infrastructure in the School for MDM requires urgent improvement. Hand washing stations should be made and encouraging micronutrient fortification for a better nutritional outcome is essential. Feedback can be obtained periodically from the children and parents about quality of meal and other parameters.
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Individual family studies
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Nutrition
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Public administration
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Public health
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Public policy
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