Malnutrition Concerns of India

Context: 

According to the Joint Malnutrition Estimates released by the UNICEF, the WHO and the World Bank, India continues to show a reduction in stunting and recorded 1.6 crore fewer stunted children under five years in 2022 than in 2012 commensurate with global and regional trends.

Findings of the report

• Stunting: 
  1. Stunting among children under five years in India dropped from a prevalence rate of 41.6% in 2012 to 31.7% in 2022.
  2. India’s share of the global burden of stunting declined from 30% to 25% in the past decade.

• Wasting: The overall prevalence of wasting in 2022 was 18.7% in India, with a share of 49% in the global burden. 
• Obesity: The prevalence of obesity marginally increased in a decade from 2.2% in 2012 to 2.8% in 2022.

The decline in stunting in India is commensurate with National Family Health Survey (NFHS5) (2019­-2021) data which estimated its prevalence at 35.5% as against 38% in NFHS­4 (2016) and 48% in NFHS­3 (2006).

What is malnutrition?

• 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. 
  1. Undernutrition— It 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).
  2. The other is overweight, obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer).

News Source: The Hindu

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