Simultaneously, the results show that over half of India’s women and children are still anemic.
The survey included 13 states — Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Sikkim, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Tripura, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttarakhand — and two UTsm Puducherry and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The results showed over 50 percent of the children across 10 states and over 50 percent of the women in 11 states and UTs are anemic.
According to the results of the survey, the problem of malnutrition is far from solved although anemia has declined. Women and children are better nourished than they were when the survey was last conducted and fewer children below the age of five were found with stunted growth. Still, over 40 percent of the children in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Meghalaya were found with stunted growth.
On the brighter side, the number of child and infant deaths has come down. The survey stated: “After the last round of NFHS in 2005 – 2006, infant mortality has declined in all first phase states/UTs for which trend data are available. All 15 states/UTs have rates below 51 deaths per 1000 live births, although there is considerable variation among the states.”
About NFHS
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a multi-round and large-scale survey of families all over India. It is the collaborative effort of ORC Macro, Claverton, Maryland, USA, the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), and the East-West Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
The IIPS has been designated by the Government of India as a nodal agency that is responsible for providing technical guidance and coordination for the NFHS, which receives funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The NFHS conducted its first survey in 1992 – 93.
