About the current situation on malnutrition in India

1. Malnutrition in India
Mid Sem assignment

2. 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. 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 noncommunicable diseases (such as heart disease, stroke,
diabetes, and cancer).

3. Malnutrition in India
‣ World’s largest producers of milk & pulses
‣ Ranks second-largest producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables, fruits, and cotton,
as per the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
‣ 14 per cent of India’s population is undernourished, according to ‘The State of Food Security and
Nutrition in the World, 2020’
‣ 189.2 million people are undernourished in India
‣ 34.7 per cent of the children aged under five in India are stunted.
‣ 20 per cent of India’s children under the age of 5 suffer from wasting, meaning their weight is too
low for their height.

4. Malnutrition in India
‣ India is home to the most number of malnourished children all across the world.
‣ Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have the highest number of malnourished children, followed by
Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Madhya Pradesh.
‣ In Madhya Pradesh, 42 percent of children under the age of five are malnourished, while in Bihar
it is 48.3 percent.
‣ Although, the situation is better in states like Kerala, Goa, Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, and
Mizoram.
‣ as per Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019, India has been ranked 102 out of the qualifying 117
countries that were assessed.

5. Causes of Malnutrition
Poverty
Because of low purchasing power, poor cannot afford to buy desired amount and desired quality of
food for the family. This adversely affects their capacity for physical work and they earn less. Thus
starts a vicious cycle of poverty, under nutrition, diminished work capacity, low earning and poverty
Feeding habits
Lack of awareness of nutritional qualities of food, irrational beliefs about food, inappropriate child
rearing and feeding habits all lead to under nutrition in the family.
Infections
Infections like malaria and measles or recurrent attacks of diarrhoea may precipitate acute
malnutrition and aggravate the existing nutritional deficit. Metabolic demands for protein are
higher during infections and the child may take in less food either due to reduced appetite or due to
food restrictions by the mother. Thus leading to malnutrition

6. Socio-cultural factors
• Inequitable distribution of food in the family. In most of the poor households, women and
preschool children especially girls receive less food than the economically active male members
• Large families Rapid succession of pregnancies adversely affects the nutritional status of the
mother. As she tries to manage the big family she may neglect her own health and antenatal
checkups during pregnancy. Under nutrition may lead to low birth weight baby. In large families
per capita availability of food is also less.
• Poor quality of housing, sanitation and water supply. These contribute to ill health and infections
thus Contributing to malnutrition.
• Inadequate maternal and child care- Improving the primary health centres and other health care
services in the rural areas will definitely improve the nutrition profile of women and children.

8. Ways for Reducing Malnutrition in India
1. Ensure better coordination among various ministries
2. Improve data collection on malnutrition
3. Invest heavily in social welfare programmes
4. Make welfare delivery mechanisms more accountable
5. Allow panchayats a bigger say in running welfare schemes
6. Diversify the Public Distribution System
7. Strengthen and expand on nutrition schemes for adolescent girls
8. Strengthen MGNREGA to ensure better food security
9. Revive and safeguard forests as sustainable sources of food
10.Improve access to public healthcare for poorer communities

9. Five Ways for Reducing Child Malnutrition in India
1. Teaching about nutrition
2. Enhance mid-day meals
i. Hygiene issues
ii. Fortification
3. Donate to NGO fundraising
4. Invest on social welfare