Nutritional status and infant mortality rate: a case study in Saiha district, Mizoram, India
This communication examines nutritional status and its impact on infant mortality rate (IMR) in Saiha district, Mizoram, India. We conducted a case study of 17 villages and 1650 mothers were surveyed, using random sampling method. The district has very high IMR (219.6), significantly higher than Mizoram (35). Meanwhile, per day per capita calorie intake is 1703, which is less than the recommended dietary intake (2400 kcal). All food items which people consume daily were collected and nutritional status was assessed. Our result shows that high IMR in the district is due to food insecurity and malnutrition.