- A Cost of the Diet analysis of Pindra Block, Varanasi, was conducted as part of an integrated study with a Household Economy Approach assessment, funded by Dalai Lama Foundation under Save the Children’s Karuna Programme.
Pindra Block is located in Varanasi District of Uttar Pradesh State. Pindra is divided into 14 Nyay Panchayats and 98 Gram Panchayats.
According to the Karuna Programme baseline, 50% of children (aged 6-59 months) were stunted or too short for their age, 29.1% were wasted or too thin for their height and 46.6% were underweight. The MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) was less than 11.5 cms for 2% of children in project block.
An encouraging 78% of mothers with children in the age group of 0 to 24 months started breastfeeding within an hour of birth. 76% of mothers gave colostrum to their newborn, while only 37% exclusively breastfed their babies for the first six months.
According to mothers of children aged 0-24 months, 65.2% had begun complementary feeding of their child within the age group of 6-8 months in the project.
The aim of this analysis was to assess the degree to which economic constraints might prevent households in Pindra Block from having access to a nutritious diet. The data collection and analysis set out to answer the following questions:
- What is the cost of a nutritionally adequate diet for typical households in Pindra Block?
- What nutrients have the greatest influence on the cost of a nutritious diet?
- What local foods are inexpensive sources of essential micronutrients and could be promoted through programme interventions?
- How affordable is a nutritious diet for a typical household in different wealth groups?
- How might nutrition, food security and social protection interventions improve access to a nutritious diet by households in the assessment area?