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Two out of three child deaths due to Malnutrition: report
Why is it in the news?
- According to the first comprehensive estimate of disease burden due to child and maternal malnutrition, two-thirds of the 1.04 million deaths in children under five years in India are still attributable to malnutrition.
More in the news
- The report was published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health by the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative.
- It is a joint initiative of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Public Health Foundation of India, and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
- It also includes experts and stakeholders associated with over 100 Indian institutions, involving many leading health scientists.
- Findings of the Report:
(1) The disability-adjusted life year (DALY) rate attributable to malnutrition in children varies 7-fold among most States.
(2) One DALY can be thought of as one last year of healthy life.
(3) DALY is highest in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Assam, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha etc.
(4) Children in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Sikkim are the least affected.
(5) The overall under-five death rate and the death rate due to malnutrition has decreased substantially from 1990 to 2017.
(6) But malnutrition is still the leading risk factor for death in children under five years.
(7) Malnutrition is also the leading risk factor for disease burden for all ages considered together in most States.
(8) The low birth weight needs particular policy attention in India as it is the biggest contributor to child death among all malnutrition indications and its rate of decline is among the lowest.
(9) The overweight among a subset of children is becoming a significant public health problem as it is increasing rapidly across all States.
- Some Measures:
(1) States will need to implement an integrated nutrition policy to effectively address the broader determinants of under-nutrition across the life cycle.
(2) Focus will be needed on major determinants like:
-Provision of clean drinking water.
-Reducing rates of open defecation.
Source
The Hindu.