77 Percent Indian Children Lack WHO's Dietary Diversity Recommendations: Study finds
A recent study has pointed out that about 77 per cent of children in India aged 6-23 months do not meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) dietary diversity recommendations. This disturbing trend is particularly pronounced in central states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, where over 80 per cent of kids have been found to show inadequate dietary diversity. In contrast, Sikkim and Meghalaya are the only states reporting under 50 per cent prevalence. The findings were published in the National Medical Journal of India.
Using data from the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted between 2019-21, researchers noted a decline in minimum dietary diversity failure from 87.4 per cent in 2005-06 (NFHS-3) to a concerning level above 75 per cent.
The WHO suggests using the Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) score to evaluate the quality of a child's diet -- it is considered to be diverse if it contains five or more food groups, including breastmilk, eggs, legumes and nuts, and fruits and vegetables.
The study revealed some improvements in dietary habits. However, the findings also showed a decline in breast milk and dairy consumption, dropping from 87% to 85% and 54% to 52%, respectively. Factors contributing to dietary deficiencies included maternal education levels, rural residency, lack of access to mass media, and inadequate health counseling for children.
The authors also found that the children of illiterate and rural-residing mothers having no exposure to mass media, those born first and not exposed to counselling and health check-ups at Anganwadi or Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres were more likely to be consuming diets deficient in diversity.
Reference: Gunnal G, Bagaria D, Roy S. Regional patterns in minimum diet diversity failure and associated factors among children aged 6–23 months in India. Natl Med J India 2024;37:181–90. DOI: 10.25259/NMJI_241_2023
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