DISTRICT NUTRITION PROFILE
KOLKATA | WEST BENGAL MARCH 2022
About District Nutrition Profiles:
District Nutrition Profiles (DNPs) are available for 707 districts in India.
They present trends for key nutrition and health outcomes and their
cross-sectoral determinants in a district. The DNPs are based on data
from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015-2016) and
NFHS-5 (2019-2020). They are aimed primarily at district administrators,
state functionaries, local leaders, and development actors working at
the district-level.
Figure 1: Map highlights district Kolkata
in the state/UT of West Bengal
What factors lead to child undernutrition?
Given the focus of India’s national nutrition mission on child
undernutrition, the DNPs focus on the determinants of child
undernutrition (Figure on the left). Multiple determinants of
suboptimal child nutrition and development contribute to the
outcomes seen at the district-level. Different types of
interventions can influence these determinants. Immediate
determinants include inadequacies in food, health, and care for
infants and young children, especially in the first two years of
life. Nutrition-specific interventions such as health service
delivery at the right time during pregnancy and early childhood
can affect immediate determinants. Underlying and basic
determinants include women’s status, household food security,
hygiene, and socio-economic conditions. Nutrition-sensitive
interventions such as social safety nets, sanitation programs,
Source: Adapted from Black et al. (2008)
women’s empowerment, and agriculture programs can affect
underlying and basic determinants.
District demographic profile, 2019 Kolkata
954/1,000 1,415,200 95,867
Sex ratio (females per 1,000 Number of women of Total number of pregnant
males) of the total population reproductive age (15–49 yrs) women registered for ANC
78,329 77,971 220,082
Number of live births Number of Total number of children
institutional births under 5 yrs
Source:
IFPRI estimates - Headcount = Prevalence x Eligible projected population for each district in 2019. Prevalence estimates: NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-20) state/district
factsheets and report. Projected population for 2019 (children <5yrs and women 15-49yrs) was estimated using Census 2011.
Data on number of pregnant women, live births, and institutional deliveries are from HMIS. NA: unavailable/implausible data
Citation: Singh. N., P.H. Nguyen, M. Jangid, S.K. Singh, R. Sarwal, N. Bhatia, R. Johnston, W. Joe, and P. Menon. 2022. District Nutrition Profile: Kolkata, West Bengal. New Del-
hi, India: International Food Policy Research Institute.
Acknowledgement: Financial support was provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through POSHAN, led by the International Food Policy Research Institute. We thank
Amit Jena (Independent Researcher) for design and programming support.
The state of nutrition outcomes among children (<5 years) Kolkata
NA West Bengal
Low-birth weight NA
2016
24%
Stunted 2020
30%
17%
Wasted 29%
Burden of nutrition outcomes (2020)
Indicators No. of children (<5 yrs)
5%
Severely wasted Low-birth weight NA
17%
Stunted 65,144
20% Wasted 64,484
Underweight
33% Severely wasted 37,194
Underweight 72,407
5%
Overweight/obesity Overweight/obesity 13,139
6%
Anemia 142,937
Total children 220,082
70%
Anemia
72%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Note: NA refers to data unavailable for a given round of NFHS/Census.
Points of discussion:
• What are the trends in undernutrition among children under five years of age (stunting, wasting, underweight, and anemia)?
• What are the trends in overweight/obesity among children under five years of age in the district?
The state of nutrition outcomes among women (15-49 years) Kolkata
West Bengal
7%
Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m²)
7%
2016
41% 2020
Overweight/obesity
29%
Burden of nutrition outcomes (2020)
18%
Hypertension Indicators No. of women (15-49 yrs)
24%
Underweight 93,403
NA Overweight/obesity 410,691
Diabetes
22% Hypertension 337,808
Diabetes 305,683
47%
Anemia (non-pregnant) Anemia (non-preg) 826,477
58%
Anemia (preg) NA
Total women (preg) 95,867
NA
Anemia (pregnant)
NA Total women 1,415,200
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Note: NA refers to data unavailable for a given round of NFHS/Census.
Points of discussion:
• What are the trends in underweight and anemia among women (15-49 yrs) in the district?
• What are the trends in overweight/obesity and other nutrition-related non-communicable diseases in the district?
2
Immediate determinants Kolkata
42%
Consumed IFA 100+ days (pregnant women) West Bengal
68%
10% 2016
Consumed IFA 180+ days (pregnant women)
34%
48% 2020
Early initiation of breastfeeding (children <3 yrs)
44%
NA
Exclusive breastfeeding
NA
NA
Continued breastfeeding at 2 years
NA
NA
Timely introduction of complementary foods
NA
14%
Adequate diet (children)
32%
NA
Dietary diversity (children)
NA
NA
Minimum meal frequency (children)
NA
NA
Eggs and/or flesh foods consumption, 6-23 m
NA
NA
Sweet beverage consumption, 6-23 m
NA
NA
Bottle feeding of infants, 6-23 m
NA
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Note: NA refers to data unavailable for a given round of NFHS/Census.
Points of discussion:
• What are the trends in infant and young child feeding (early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, timely initiation of
complementary feeding, and adequate diet)? What can be done to improve infant and young child feeding?
• What are the trends in IFA consumption among pregnant women in the district? How can the consumption be improved?
• What additional data are needed to understand diets and/or other determinants?
Underlying determinants Kolkata
49%
Women with ≥10 years of education West Bengal
55%
13%
Women 20-24 years married before the age of 18 2016
17%
5%
Women 15-19 years with child or pregnant 2020
5%
48%
HHs using improved sanitation facility
61%
100%
HHs with improved drinking water source
99%
NA
Safe disposal of feces
NA
NA
HHs with below poverty line (BPL) card
NA
26%
HHs with health insurance
21%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Note: NA refers to data unavailable for a given round of NFHS/Census.
Points of discussion:
• How can the district increase women’s literacy, and reduce early marriage, if needed?
• How does the district perform on providing drinking water and sanitation to its residents? Since sanitation and hygiene play an
important role in improving nutrition outcomes, how can all aspects of sanitation be improved?
• How can programs that address underlying and basic determinants (education, poverty, gender) be strengthened?
• What additional data are needed on food systems, poverty or other underlying determinants?
3
Trends in coverage of interventions across the first 1,000 days Kolkata
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
2016
Demand for FP satisfied NA NA
Iodized salt 99% 99% 2020
Pregnancy registered (MCP card) 92% 94%
ANC first trimester 74% 76%
≥ 4 ANC visits 72% 85%
Weighing NA NA
Birth preparedness counselling NA NA
Breastfeeding counselling NA NA
Tetanus injection 92% 100%
Received IFA tab/syrup 91%
Deworming 21%
Food supplementation NA NA
Institutional birth 95% 97%
Financial assistance (JSY) 19%
Skilled birth attendant 97% 99%
Postnatal care for mothers 73% 83%
Postnatal care for babies 33% 85%
Food supplementation NA NA
Health & nutrition education NA NA
Health checkup (ICDS) NA NA
Full immunization 67% 80%
Vitamin A 58% 71%
Pediatric IFA NA NA
Deworming NA NA
Food supplementation (6-35 months) NA NA
Weighing NA NA
Counselling on child growth NA NA
ORS during diarrhea NA NA
Zinc during diarrhea NA NA
Careseeking for ARI NA NA
Preschool at AWC NA NA
Health checkup from AWC NA NA
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Note: NA refers to data unavailable for a given round of NFHS/Census.
Points of discussion:
• How does the district perform on health and nutrition interventions along the continuum of care? Does it adequately provide both
prenatal and postnatal services to women of reproductive age, pregnant women, new mothers and newborns?
• How has access to health and ICDS services changed over time (food supplementation, health and nutrition education and health
checkups)?
