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With research staff from more than 70 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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experts

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Anita Christopher

Research Analyst

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Bio

Anita Christopher is a Research Analyst in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, based in New Delhi. Her research interests lie in the intersection of environment, health, and economics. Prior to joining IFPRI, she worked as a Research Associate at the Indian Institute of Management–Bangalore (IIM–Bangalore) and has served as a Research Assistant to professors from the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai. Anita holds a master’s degree in Environmental Economics from Madras School of Economics, Chennai, and a bachelor’s degree with honors in Economics from the University of Delhi.

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Publications

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Journal Article

Commuting, transport infrastructure and gender: Evidence from Indian metros

2026Mahambare, Vidya; Dhanaraj, Sowmya; Srinivasan, Madhumitha; Christopher, Anita
Details

Commuting, transport infrastructure and gender: Evidence from Indian metros

JEL Classification: J60; J68; R41; R50

Year published

2026

Authors

Mahambare, Vidya; Dhanaraj, Sowmya; Srinivasan, Madhumitha; Christopher, Anita

Citation

Mahambare, Vidya; Dhanaraj, Sowmya; Srinivasan, Madhumitha; and Christopher, Anita. Commuting, transport infrastructure and gender: Evidence from Indian metros. Journal of Social and Economic Development. Article in press. First published online January 28, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-024-00413-w

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Costs; Gender; Transport Infrastructure; Women

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40847-024-00413-w Source record

Record type

Journal Article

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Data Paper

Status of nutrition in Bangladesh: Trends in outcomes, determinants and coverage of interventions between 2018 and 2022

2025Kapoor, Rati; Christopher, Anita; Parvin, Aklima; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Gune, Soyra; Sarswat, Esha
Details

Status of nutrition in Bangladesh: Trends in outcomes, determinants and coverage of interventions between 2018 and 2022

This Country Nutrition Profile describes the trends in nutrition outcomes, their determinants, and coverage of nutrition and health interventions during critical life stages for women and children in Bangladesh. The findings are based on the 2018 and 2022 data from Bangladesh’s Demographic and Health Surveys. Bar graphs were used to visualize national trends, maps and color-coded dashboards illustrate division-level trends. The purpose of the profile is to be an easily interpretable reference for nutrition stakeholders in Bangladesh.

Year published

2025

Authors

Kapoor, Rati; Christopher, Anita; Parvin, Aklima; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Gune, Soyra; Sarswat, Esha

Citation

Kapoor, Rati; Christopher, Anita; Parvin, Aklima; Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; et al. 2026. Status of nutrition in Bangladesh: Trends in outcomes, determinants and coverage of interventions between 2018 and 2022. SANI Data Note 2. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/181058

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Nutrition; Nutritional Status; Health; Women; Gender; Children

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Data Paper

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Assessing progress on the coverage of interventions in the first 1000 days in India: Role of national programs

2024
Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Christopher, Anita; Gune, Soyra; Bhatia, Neena; Chauhan, Alka; Dwivedi, L. K.; Kapur, Avani; Pedgaonkar, Sarang; Shukla, Ritwik
…more Chakrabarti, Suman; Singh, Shri Kant; Menon, Purnima
Details

Assessing progress on the coverage of interventions in the first 1000 days in India: Role of national programs

Background High coverage of nutrition-specific interventions is critical to meet global nutrition targets, and it is imperative to understand how to attain it. We examined trends and inequalities in the coverage of interventions in India and the role of the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) in achieving improvements. Methods We conducted trends and equity analysis of 30 interventions using two rounds of National Family Health Survey data (2015–2016, n=1 78 874, and 2019–2021, n=1 70 697). We also compared coverage between states that received incentives and monitoring under NNM and those that did not. We reviewed programme documents and grey literature to construct a policy timeline to trace pathways to coverage improvement and consulted with stakeholders to confirm interpretation of findings. Findings Between 2016 and 2021, coverage improved significantly for nearly all interventions (~1–22 percentage points (pp) during pregnancy, ~7–20 pp during delivery/postpartum and~5–17 pp during early childhood). Improvements in coverage were higher among the poor and in rural areas compared with the rich and in urban areas, respectively; wealth and residence gaps narrowed for most interventions. These improvements could be traced to community mobilisation, technology and monitoring under NNM. Improvements in coverage of growth monitoring and counselling were higher in states that received additional incentives and monitoring under NNM. Stakeholders concurred that the improvements in coverage were likely driven by NNM. Interpretation Focused policy attention and programmatic efforts improved coverage and reduced inequities indicating an inclusive approach. Persistent coverage gaps for certain interventions require further inquiry.

Year published

2024

Authors

Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Christopher, Anita; Gune, Soyra; Bhatia, Neena; Chauhan, Alka; Dwivedi, L. K.; Kapur, Avani; Pedgaonkar, Sarang; Shukla, Ritwik; Chakrabarti, Suman; Singh, Shri Kant; Menon, Purnima

Citation

Avula, Rasmi; Nguyen, Phuong; Christopher, Anita; Gune, Soyra; Bhatia, Bhatia; Chauhan, Alka; et al. 2024. Assessing progress on the coverage of interventions in the first 1000 days in India: role of national programs. Assessing progress on the coverage of interventions in the first 1000 days in India: Role of national programs. BMJ Global Health 9(12): e015246. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015246

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Data; Maternal and Child Health; Nutrition; Research Methods

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2024-015246 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Towards Impact at Scale
IFPRI Program/Country Event

 | 

December 2 to 4, 2025

Delivering for Nutrition in South Asia: Towards Impact at Scale

South Asia continues to face an enduring burden of malnutrition in all its forms—undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and a steady increase in overweight and obesity and non-communicable diseases. Over 1 billion people in South Asia cannot afford a healthy diet. While many promising solutions have emerged, translating them into sustained, large-scale impact remains a challenge. This […]