Data on Child Nutrition: Implications for Child Development

Data on Child Nutrition: Implications for Child Development

Question: Though several policies for child development have been proposed, complete nutrition for children remains a social goal which has not yet been attained. Elaborate.

- According to the findings of the Clinical, Anthropometric and Biochemical survey, part of the Annual Health Survey, 8 states have reduced proportion of underweight children

- New official information on nutrition in the 9 poorest states of India also reveals that while many states have reduced the number of underweight children, record in reducing child stunting is negative

- While Bihar and Uttarakhand have improved on the indicators, UP has become worse on all

Annual Health Survey collects information about the health of the population from every district in India’s 8 EAG/ Empowered Action States namely:

- Bihar,

- Chhattisgarh,

- Jharkhand,

- Madhya Pradesh,

- Odisha,

- Rajasthan,

- Uttar Pradesh

- Uttarakhand

- CAB was a one time survey conducted to determine key anthropometric indicators such as child malnourishment, child wasting, underweight children and child stunting

Facts and Stats

- RSOC/Rapid Survey of Children found improvements in all CAG states on child stunting, CAB has found only 5 states have improved-Assam Odisha, Bihar, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh

- On child wasting, only 4-Bihar, Jharkhand, MP and Uttarakhand improved

- CAB confirmed RSCO’s findings that girls were more likely than boys to be underweight in 2005-2006 while the converse was true in 2014