Hrid Health Hub

Malnutrition

Malnutrition among under-five children is an important concern for the health authorities in India. The aim of the present review was to assess the burden of under-nutrition and over-nutrition, its determinants, and strategies required to tackle malnutrition among under-five children in India. Recent data were collected from Google search, Medline, and others. The information retrieved was reviewed and analyzed for discrepancies. Existing evidence shows that the prevalence of under-nutrition among under-five children was high and varied widely (under-weight: 39-75%, stunting: 15.4-74%, wasting: 10.6-42.3%) depending on the assessment methodology adopted. Studies on assessment of over-nutrition status among under-five children were limited. Distribution of various types of risk factors and their influence on nutrition status of children in a given setup should be analyzed for planning the control measures. the public health interventions for mild malnutrition cases and vulnerable groups, effective implementation and evaluation of the strategies at the regional level, research on overweight, obesity, and its etiological factors, and steps for improving socioeconomic development are the prerequisites for tackling malnutrition among under-five children in India.