Results from NFHS-1 indicate that more than half of all Indian children under age four are malnourished. Children whose mothers have little or no education and children with three or more older siblings tend to have a lower nutritional status than do other children. Surprisingly, malnutrition rates are just as high for boys as for girls.

The NFHS Bulletin is a series of four-page policy briefs summarizing secondary analysis of data from the 1992-93 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India. The NFHS collected information from nearly 90,000 Indian women on a range of demographic and health topics. Conducted under the auspices of the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the survey provides national and state-level estimates of fertility, infant and child mortality, family planning practice, maternal and child health, and the utilization of services available to mothers and children. IIPS conducted the survey in cooperation with consulting organizations and 18 population research centers throughout India. The East-West Center and a U.S.-based consulting firm, Macro International, provided technical assistance, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided financial support.