‘High levels of maternal and child under nutrition continue to plague India’
The Hindu
COVID-19 is interacting with under nutrition and exacerbating nutritional insecurities, says Arjan De Wagt, Head, Nutrition, UNICEF India
, Head, Nutrition, UNICEF India speaks to The Hindu’s on how high levels of maternal and child under nutrition continue to plague the country, and the impact COVID-19 has had on the gains India has made in economic and human development in recent decades. He notes that for the future of children in India, controlling COVID-19 and ending malnutrition are equally important and urgent.
Overall, India has made impressive gains in economic and human development in recent decades. It has transitioned from being a food-deficit nation to a self-sufficient food-producing country in the last 30 years.
However, high levels of maternal and child under nutrition continue to plague the country. Large-scale surveys like the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) and National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS) show that about one-third of children under five years of age in India are stunted, a third of them are underweight and almost two out of ten children are nutritionally wasted; many of these children suffer from multiple anthropometric deficits. The CNNS also highlight the emerging problems of overweight, obesity and micro-nutrient deficiencies.