Despite recent achievements in economic progress in India, the fruit of development has
failed to secure a better nutritional status among all children of the country. Growing
evidence suggests the existence of a socio-economic gradient of childhood malnutrition in
India. In many countries, including India, there is a clear socio-economic gradient in
childhood malnutrition. For example, children from the poorest households are more likely to
experience chronic malnutrition than those from wealthier families. Children from lower SES
households often face higher risks of malnutrition, including undernutrition and stunting,
compared to those from higher SES households. This is due to several factors, such as limited
access to nutritious food, inadequate healthcare, and poor living conditions. Other variables,
such as the mother's educational attainment and access to sanitary facilities, greatly influence
a child's nutritional health. Children's socioeconomic position (SES) also significantly
influences their nutritional status.
The present paper is an attempt to measure the impact of socio-economic factors on
childhood malnutrition in rural areas of the Kanpur district and to identify the role of
household socioeconomic status (SES) as the determinant of the nutritional status of children.
In the present study, the socioeconomic status is determined by three indicators, i.e.
educational status, occupational status and income of the family. The findings indicated that
the majority of families (57.31%) belonged to the upper lower class followed by the lower
middle class (22.69%) and lower class (18.08%) of the socioeconomic scale used in the
present study. Whereas, the anthropometric data of the children's body measurements
revealed that the majority of boys and girls were stunted and undernourished as they were not
meeting the WHO standard for height and weight for the 7-9 years of age group. The study
supported that socioeconomic factors of the family are determinants of the nutritional status
of children.