For the first time, percentage of anaemic children has gone down in majority of the states, though India still has a long way to go.
For the first time, percentage of anaemic children has gone down in majority of the states, though India still has a long way to go. The preliminary results of the most-awaited “National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-IV” show that the percentage of anaemic children aged 6-59 months has declined in 15 states, even as more than half of the children are still anaemic in 10 of the 15 states/UTs.
The key results from these states/UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Andaman Nicobar Islands and Puducherry for which data is now available but yet to be released by the Union health ministry show that percentage of anaemic children has declined. However, it also found that more than half of women in 11 states/UTs are still anaemic.
Strangely, over-nutrition was revealed to be a health issue for adults. As per the survey, at least three in 10 women are overweight or obese in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, AP, Goa, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
The good news is that the infant mortality rate (IMR) has declined in all 15 states, ranging from as low as 10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1,000 live-births in Madhya Pradesh.
Significantly, it was found that all these states/UTs except Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya have either achieved or maintained replacement level of fertility. The average total fertility rate (TFR) number of children per women range from 1.2 in Sikkim and 3.4 in Bihar.
It was also seen that more than 60 per cent children (12-23 months) have received full immunisation in 12 of 15 states/UTs. Data revealed that in Goa, Sikkim, West Bengal and Puducherry more than 80 per cent children (12-23 months) have been fully immunised.
While the mother who had at least 4 Ante Natal Care visits increased in all these states/UTs in Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Goa. Ironically, there has been no increase in use of modern family planning methods except in the states of Meghalaya, Haryana and West Bengal.
The decline was seen to be highest in Goa followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The NFHS-3 had revealed that 70% of children below five years of age were anaemic in India and 58 per cent of pregnant women were anaemic too.
Even as it showed that improved sanitation facilities were less common, more than 50 per cent of these households have access to improved facilities.
Interestingly, use of clean cooking fuel varied sidely, ranging from 17.8 per cent of households in Bihar to more than 70 per cent of households in Tamil Naduand more than 80 per cent households in Puducherry.
Even as the officials believe that the data is not comparable to with the earlier NHS due to the difference of sample size, they also note that “findings are important and can be a bench mark for future surveys,” said a senior official. Once completed, arpund 5,70,000 households would be covered.
