An observational cross-sectional survey study on the health-related demographic profile of women and children from the scheduled caste community in Gwalior District, Madhya Pradesh, India

BACKGROUND: Despite overall progress in public health indicators, significant inequities in health status and healthcare utilization persist across many underprivileged groups. Women and children belonging to the scheduled caste (SC) community are particularly affected, with their health outcomes shaped by a complex interplay of social determinants, living conditions, and access to essential health services, highlighting the importance of systematic population-based assessment. This study was undertaken in this context to systematically assess the health-related demographic characteristics of the target population. The lack of accessible and high-quality health services adds to the challenges faced by this community. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the health-related demographic profile of the SC community by evaluating living conditions, educational attainment, occupational status, dietary practices, addictions, menstrual and obstetric history, and healthcare-seeking behavior among women, as well as educational status, immunization coverage, recurrent infections, growth, and developmental status among children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based observational cross-sectional survey was carried out between December 2018 and December 2019 in selected SC-dominated areas of the Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh, India. After obtaining informed consent, data were collected through house-to-house visits using a structured and pretested questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques, with results expressed as frequencies and summary measures. RESULTS: Health-related demographic data were collected from 4402 individuals belonging to the SC community, comprising 2573 women (58.5%), 944 male children (21.4%), and 885 female children (20.1%). Among women, 34.86% reported dysmenorrhea, 10.04% reported home deliveries, whereas 89.96 reported institutional deliveries. Mixed dietary practices were predominant (71.86%), whereas 15.24% reported some form of addiction, mainly gutkha/pan masala use. All women reported seeking allopathic healthcare for illness. Among children, age-appropriate immunization coverage was observed in the majority, though 20.68% of children aged 6–12 years were not attending school. Respiratory tract infections were the most common recurrent infection, affecting 16.46% of children, followed by skin infections (3.77%) and gastrointestinal infections (1.15%). Anthropometric assessment showed that 92.62% of children had normal height-for-age, whereas 19.14% had below-normal weight-for-age, and 13.5% were affected by varying grades of malnutrition. Developmental assessment revealed normal developmental status in 99.84% of children across physical, social-emotional, language, and cognitive domains. CONCLUSION: The study provides an overview of the health-related demographic profile of women and children in the SC community of Gwalior district. The findings highlight variations in living conditions, healthcare utilization, and healthcare utilization patterns, underscoring the value of community-based data in informing context-specific planning and strengthening public health strategies.