Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics of the participants (N = 425)
| Variables | n | % | |||
| Place of living | |||||
| Rural | 214 | 49.65 | |||
| Urban slums | 211 | 50.35 | |||
| Gender | |||||
| Male | 201 | 47.29 | |||
| Female | 224 | 52.71 | |||
| Age of the children (months) | |||||
| 36-48 | 180 | 42.35 | |||
| 49-60 | 124 | 29.18 | |||
| 61-72 | 121 | 28.47 | |||
| Child’s birth order in a family | |||||
| 1st | 105 | 24.70 | |||
| 2nd | 194 | 45.65 | |||
| 3rd and above | 126 | 29.65 | |||
| Birth weight of the children (gm) | |||||
| <2,500 | 81 | 19.06 | |||
| >2,500 | 344 | 80.94 | |||
| Religion | |||||
| Hindu | 358 | 84.23 | |||
| Muslim | 49 | 11.53 | |||
| Christian | 18 | 4.24 | |||
| Caste | |||||
| General | 160 | 37.65 | |||
| OBC | 140 | 32.94 | |||
| SC | 81 | 19.06 | |||
| ST | 44 | 10.35 | |||
| Father’s education | |||||
| No formal education | 50 | 11.77 | |||
| Primary school (class up to 7) | 110 | 25.88 | |||
| High school (class up to 10) | 178 | 41.88 | |||
| College or higher | 87 | 20.47 | |||
| Mother’s education | |||||
| No formal education | 68 | 16.00 | |||
| Primary school (class up to 7) | 143 | 33.65 | |||
| High school (class up 8 to 10) | 178 | 40.70 | |||
| College or higher | 41 | 9.65 | |||
| Occupation of the mother | |||||
| Service | 10 | 2.35 | |||
| Business | 4 | 0.94 | |||
| Agricultural labor | 8 | 1.88 | |||
| Factory/construction labor | 19 | 4.47 | |||
| Housewife | 384 | 90.36 | |||
| Occupation of the father | |||||
| Service | 61 | 14.35 | |||
| Business | 85 | 20.00 | |||
| Factory/construction labor | 146 | 34.35 | |||
| Driving | 51 | 12.01 | |||
| Agriculture | 82 | 19.29 | |||
| Socioeconomic class | |||||
| Lower class | 259 | 60.94 | |||
| Middle class | 151 | 35.53 | |||
| Upper class | 15 | 3.53 | |||