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Over 35 percent of Indian kids below 5 years underweight: Study
Only one in 10 Indian children aged 6-23 months gets “adequate diet”, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of data from National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4). Consequently, 35.7% of children below five years of age are underweight, according to NFHS-4 data.
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Tamil Nadu is one of the better performing states, with 30 % of children in the 6-23 months age-group reportedly got adequate diet, while Rajasthan, was the worst at only 3.4%. followed by Gujarat (5.2%) and Uttar Pradesh (5.3%).
The best performing state/ union territory was Puducherry (31%). After birth, between 0-6 months, breastmilk alone is sufficient to meet an infant’s requirement for food and water. Only 55% children are exclusively breastfed for six months, according to NFHS-4, a rise of 9% from 2005-06 (NFHS-3).
The period of transition from exclusive breastfeeding to family foods, referred to as complementary feeding, covers a child from 6-23 months and is a vulnerable period. It is the time when malnutrition starts in many infants, contributing to the high prevalence of malnutrition in children under two years of age.
Optimal breastfeeding in the first year and complementary feeding practices together can prevent almost one-fifth of deaths in children under five years of age, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Optimal complementary feeding is the most effective intervention that can significantly reduce stunting during the first two years of life. Stunted children are more susceptible to fall sick, underperform in schools and are more likely to become overweight.
Furthermore, inadequate iron intake can lead to iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) which leads to permanently impaired cognitive ability, which leads to a reduction in adult wages, according to this 2015 study.
An “adequate diet” is defined as introduction of nutritionally-adequate and safe complementary foods at six months together with continued breastfeeding up to two years or above. India has more malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa and nearly one of every five malnourished children in the world is from India.
Among the larger states, only Tamil Nadu met its millennium development goal (MDG) target with a reduction of 67% in infant mortality rate to 19 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015, IndiaSpend reported on January 9, 2017.
Despite having an Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, a flagship programme of the central government since 1975 and one of the world’s largest for child-care and development, and increasing the budget for child health by more than three times over a decade to 2014-15, India missed its MDG targets, IndiaSpend reported on January 4, 2016.
From not actually covering all eligible children to having infrastructural gaps, many deficiencies of ICDS have been documented, IndiaSpend reported on May 3, 2017.
“The NFHS data is not just a reflection of the state of health and nutritional well-being of children and expecting mothers, but also provides the direction for corrective measures in state policies and programmes on child health and malnutrition,” Soha Moitra, regional director (north), Child Rights and You (CRY), an advocacy, said in an interview on April 19, 2017.
“In the context of addressing child malnutrition, universalisation of anganwadi centres (courtyard shelters) and a robust system of growth monitoring are measures that can lead us to lasting solutions to such issues,” Moitra added.
HEALTH MATTERS
NITI Aayog, the government’s premier think-tank, in its threeyear (2017-20) agenda draft, made some suggestions for tackling nutrition issues
- There is an urgent need for webenabled Nutrition Information System
- Convergence of nutrition is important Of 194 districts with high levels of child undernutrition, there are only 11 districts where three major nutrition programmes are running concurrently
- More flexibility to states under ICDS, where states can devise interventions to suit their local needs
- Engaging the private sector for fortification of wheat, flour, rice, edible oils and milk. Fortified food can be incorporated into mid-day meals, public distribution shops and anganwadi centres
DIET CHART
Guidelines for adequate diet as per the World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Continue frequent, on-demand breastfeeding until two years of age
- Start feeding at six months with small amount of food and increase gradually
- Increase the number of times that the child is fed: 2–3 meals a day for infants 6-8 months of age; 3-4 meals a day for infants 9-23 months
- Use fortified complementary foods or vitamin-mineral supplements as needed
- During illness, increase fluid intake including more breastfeeding, and offer soft, favourite foods to ensure adequate nutrition
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