According to a study, more than 77 percent of Indian children do not benefit from the dietary diversity recommended by the WHO.

The WHO suggests using the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score to assess the quality of a child’s diet: it is considered diverse if it contains five or more food groups, including breast milk, eggs , legumes and nuts, as well as fruits and vegetables. . | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Around 77 percent of Indian children aged 6 to 23 months lack dietary diversity, as suggested by the World Health Organization, with the country’s central region having the highest prevalence of minimal dietary insufficiency, a study has found.

The states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh reported the highest levels of insufficient diversity in children’s diets – all above 80 percent – while Sikkim and the Meghalaya were the only two to report a prevalence below 50 percent. .

The WHO suggests using the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score to assess the quality of a child’s diet: it is considered diverse if it contains five or more food groups, including breast milk, eggs , legumes and nuts, as well as fruits and vegetables. .

Analyzing data from the 2019 to 2021 National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5), researchers, including those from the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, found that the Overall failure rate for minimum dietary diversity in the country increased from 87.4 percent, which was calculated using data from 2005-06 (NFHS-3).

However, “our study shows that the prevalence of a lack of minimum dietary diversity remains high (above 75 percent) in India,” the authors write in the study published in the National Medical Journal of India.

The team also looked at children’s eating habits across various food groups like protein and vitamins, comparing data from 2019-21 to 2005-06.

Egg consumption saw an “impressive” increase from around 5 percent in NFHS-3 to over 17 percent in NFHS-5, while that of legumes and nuts increased from almost 14 percent in 2005-06 to over 17 percent. during the period 2019-21.

“Consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A increased by 7.3 percentage points, while consumption of fruits and vegetables increased by 13 percentage points over the same period. For meat foods, consumption increased by 4 percentage points,” the authors wrote. .

However, consumption of breast milk and dairy products fell from 87 percent in NFHS-3 to 85 percent in NFHS-5 and from 54 percent to 52 percent, respectively.

The authors also found that children of illiterate and rural mothers who were not exposed to media, those born first and who did not benefit from counseling or health check-ups at Anganwadi centers or Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) were more likely to be reached. consume diets deficient in diversity.

It has also been found that anemic children and those with low birth weight are more likely to follow a non-diverse diet.

To tackle the problem of insufficient diversity in children’s diets, the authors called for a holistic approach by the government, including an improved public distribution system, an intensified ICDS programme, use of social media and nutritional advice through local autonomy.