The study of health transition in India has occuppied centre stage in the ongoing debate
on the relationship between mortality and morbidity [Murray 1998]. While there has been
a general decrease in mortality in India leading to significant gains in life expectancy,
both at the country and state level over the last three decades, what has happened to
morbidity is yet to be assessed. Evidence derived from studies conducted in developed
countries indicates that due to morbidity, part of the expected life is liable to be lost
through incapacitation. Although concerns have been expressed by the researchers and
health policy planners about whether the disease burden due to morbidity follows the
secular trend of mortality, there have been very few studies to examine the trends and
patterns of morbidity prevalence across population groups for states in India.