More than 77 percent of Indian children lack dietary diversity suggested by WHO, study reveals – Life News

A new study has found that around 77% of Indian children aged 6 to 23 months lack dietary diversity, as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study also found that the central region of the country has the highest prevalence of minimal food insufficiency.

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 Meghalaya were the only two to report a prevalence below 50 percent.

The World Health Organization (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. and fruits and vegetables.

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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 minimal dietary diversity remains high (above 75%) in India,” the authors write in the study published in the National Medical Journal of India.

According to a report by news agency PTI, the team also examined children’s dietary habits across various food groups like proteins and vitamins, comparing data from 2019-21 with that from 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 pulses and nuts increased from almost 14 percent. 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 during the same period. For meat foods, consumption increased by 4 percentage points,” the authors wrote as cited by PTI.

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 mothers living in rural areas who had not been exposed to the media, those born first and who had not benefited from advice and health examinations in 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.

(With inputs from PTI)