The first round of data for the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) 2019-20 was recently made public by India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. NFHS-5, a wide-ranging, multi-phase survey, offers insights into the household dynamics throughout India. The survey is coordinated by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, an institution renowned for its work in population studies for developing countries in Asia and the Pacific.
NFHS Survey Details
The NFHS-5 provides comparable data from the 2014-19 period to that of the previous round, NFHS-4 (conducted in 2015-16). Besides offering the ability to track changes over time, the survey also measures India’s progress towards 30 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) slated for achievement by 2030.
The NFHS-5 introduces new topics of interest, including preschool education, disability, sanitation facilities access, death registration, menstrual hygiene, and reasons for abortion. A notable addition to the NFHS-5 is a query on the internet usage habits of men and women, marking the first instance of such data being collected.
Data Analysis: Child Malnutrition
Many states indicate deteriorating levels of child malnutrition despite improvements in sanitation and increased access to potable water and fuel. This analysis is based on four primary metrics of child malnutrition: stunting, wasting, underweight prevalence, and mortality rate for children under 5 years of age.
The standout reversal occurred in child stunting, indicative of chronic undernutrition, where the height-for-age of children is considerably low. Despite the country’s economic and democratic advances, multiple states, including Telangana, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, and West Bengal, witnessed elevated levels of child stunting.
Wasting and Underweight Children
Child wasting, an indicator of acute undernutrition, translated to low height-for-weight ratios in children. India’s traditionally high levels of child wasting increased instead of decreasing in states like Telangana, Kerala, Bihar, Assam, and Jammu-Kashmir, with Maharashtra and West Bengal showing no change.
The proportion of underweight children enlarged in prominent states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Assam, and Kerala.
Child Mortality Rate
Data on Infant Mortality Rate (deaths per 1000 live births for children under 1 year) and Under-5 Mortality Rate has mostly remained unchanged. The marginal progress made between NFHS-3 and NFHS-4 on mortality reduction has largely stalled across various states in the NFHS-5.
Gender Gaps in Internet Use
A noticeable urban-rural and gender gap persisted in many states and union territories relating to internet usage. On average, less than 30% of rural women and 40% of urban women have used the internet.
An alarming statistic reveals that only 33.94% of rural women have ever used the internet compared to 55.6% of men. This gender divide is also noticeable in urban areas, where 56.81% of women have used the internet compared to 73.76% of men.
This data underscores the pressing need for digital literacy promotion, especially among women in both urban and rural India.
