Gurushala

Life & Well Being

What is Malnutrition?

According to WHO, Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients.

The term malnutrition covers 2 broad groups of conditions:

One is ‘undernutrition’—which includes stunting (low height for age), wasting (low weight for height), underweight (low weight for age) and micronutrient deficiencies or insufficiencies (a lack of important vitamins and minerals).

The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer).

STATISTICS OF MALNUTRITION IN INDIA

First NFHS (1992 - 1993) - More than half the children under four were underweight and stunted. One in every six children was excessively thin.

Fourth NFHS ( 2015 - 2016 )
Underweight - 35.7 %
Stunted - 38.4 %
Wasted children - 21 %

Global Hunger Index (2020) - Calculated on the basis of total undernourishment of population, child wasting, stunting and child mortality. India at 94th among 107 countries.

The reason behind Malnutrition:

Poverty
Inequality
Food shortage

Existing policies and Infrastructure:

1. ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services)-

It facilitates:
- Supplementary nutrition programme
- Growth monitoring and promotion
- Immunisation
- Health checkups.

2. Aaganwadi centres - 1,012,374
Primary beneficiaries are children below 5 years as well as pregnant and lactating women.

3. Poshan Abhiyan - A flagship nutrition mission to improve nutrition among children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in 2017.

Child malnutrition is a complex problem that requires a systemic overhaul of service delivery systems. Urgent need to invest in the infrastructure of ICDS and Anganwadi centres as well as improving their coverage. Children should be provided with all the requirements to fulfil their dreams, which will fulfil the dreams of our founding fathers.

About the author

Arpita Singh has completed an M.tech in Electrical from Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. She has a keen interest in writing and expressing her thoughts. She is regular in writing blogs on Instagram and YourQuote. Any views expressed are personal.

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