Assam experiences a significant rise of anaemia & malnutrition: NFHS-5

Dec. 14: The first phase of the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), results of which have just been released, brings forth certain startling facts. The NFHS 2019-20 survey report released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on 12 December for only 22 states and Union territories including Assam, which together are home to almost half of the country’s population. The NFHS-5, also includes some new topics, such as preschool education, disability, access to a toilet facility, death registration, bathing practices during menstruation, and methods and reasons for abortion.

Data from the first phase shows that several states have either witnessed meagre improvements or sustained reversals on child (under 5 years of age) malnutrition parameters such as child stunting; child wasting; share of children underweight and child mortality rate. The share of Indians with anaemia, a condition in which a person lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body tissues and can make a person feel tired and weak, also increased between the latest two rounds of the survey in a majority of the states. Some states experienced a very significant rise of anaemic people, such as in Assam, where the share of anaemic women increased by 20 percentage points.

When it comes to the proportion of underweight children, again, several big states, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Telangana, Assam and Kerala, have seen an increase. The latest round of the survey reported an increased share of men and women who were overweight or obese. Share of obese men increased in 19 of the 22 states and Union territories for which the data was available. The share of obese women increased in 16. Among major states and UTs, the share of obese women increased by 3.3 percentage in Assam.

The NFHS 5 findings shows that the share of children who were stunted (low height for their age) increased in 13 states, while the share of children who had low weight for their height increased in 12 states.

However, as per NFHS survey report, many of the 22 states and Union Territories (UTs), for which findings have been released, showed an increase in childhood immunisation. There has been a drop in neonatal mortality in 15 states, a decline in infant mortality rates in 18 states and an increase in the female population (per 1,000 males) in 17 states. Fertility rate decline and increase in contraceptive use were registered in almost all the states surveyed.

The results of 17 States and 5 UTs (Assam, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Mizoram, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu) have been released Phase-I. Phase 2 of the survey, which will cover other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, was delayed due to the pandemic and its results are expected to be made available in May 2021.