The Ministry of Women and Child Development in India has recently unveiled targets aimed at curbing malnutrition in the country. These targets seek to reduce stunting and under-nutrition among children under six years old by 2% each year, and to decrease low birth weight by the same percentage annually. The goals also aim at reducing Anaemia among children between six and 59 months, as well as women and adolescent girls ages 15 to 49, by 3% per year. This initiative was spurred by the results of the NFHS-5 report which provides a deep dive into major realms of the population, including health and family welfare, fertility, family planning, infant and child mortality, and more.
The Alarming Findings of the NFHS-5 Report
The NFHS-5 collected data regarding the state of stunted children in various regions of India. For instance, Meghalaya reports the most stunted children at 46.5%, closely followed by Bihar at 42.9%. In contrast, Maharashtra has the highest percentage of wasted children (weight for height) at 25.6%, followed by Gujarat at 25.1%. Furthermore, Jharkhand is home to the highest percentage of women aged 15 to 49 with below-normal Body Mass Indexes (BMI) at 26%.
Other notable findings include a decline in the Total Fertility Rates (TFR) on a national level from 2.2 to 2.0 between NFHS-4 & 5. Institutional births have seen an upsurge from 79% to 89% in India. There has also been a reduction in stunting, wasting, and underweight prevalence across the board.
Unpacking Malnutrition and Related Initiatives
Malnutrition is a condition that arises when the body lacks necessary nutrients essential for maintaining healthy tissues and organ function. This can occur in people who are either under-nourished or over-nourished. To combat this issue, several government initiatives have been launched.
The National Nutrition Mission (NNM) or POSHAN Abhiyaan was launched with the goal of achieving a “Malnutrition Free India” by 2022. Similarly, the Anemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyan mission was initiated to hasten the annual rate of anaemia decline from one to three percentage points. Other initiatives like the Mid-day Meal (MDM) scheme, the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme have all been implemented to provide nutritional aid and healthcare services to mothers and their children.
The Road Ahead: Strategies for Combating Malnutrition
To truly make progress on this front, financial commitments need to be augmented. Investments in women and children’s health and nutrition must be prioritised to ensure sustainable development and an improved quality of life. Additionally, adopting an outcome-oriented approach on nutrition programs will ensure direct engagement with nutritionally vulnerable groups, improving the delivery of key nutrition services and interventions.
Promoting education and general awareness is also key, as studies highlight a strong link between mothers’ education and improved access to nutrition interventions among children. Monitoring and evaluating programmes on a continual basis is essential to address systemic challenges and make effective policy decisions. In this way, the nutritional status across states can be reviewed and adjusted accordingly.
