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Malnutrition, Covid-19 and POSHAN Abhiyaan

 


This article is based on “Thousand days of nutrition, and a billion dreams” which was published in The Hindu on 10/12/2020. It talks about the linkages between Malnutrition, Covid-19 and POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Recently, POSHAN Abhiyaan, the flagship programme of the Government of India has completed 1,000 days of its inception. The POSHAN Abhiyaan is a holistic approach to tackle malnutrition in India.

Under this program, the government strengthened the delivery of essential nutrition interventions so that more children have the right start in life for optimum growth, health, development and a prosperous future.

Although India has made positive strides in pursuit of addressing malnutrition, it still remains on the gravest threat that blocks the promise of young India at the foundational level. Further, Covid-19 threatens to derail the gains India has made in nutrition in more than one way.

Therefore, it is time to renew the commitment to address the menace of malnutrition.

Malnutrition in India

Malnutrition refers to deficiencies, excesses or imbalances in a person’s intake of energy and/or nutrients. It places a burden heavy enough for India, to make it a top national priority.

  • According to the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey, carried out by UNICEF, about half of all children under five years in the country were found to be stunted (too short) or wasted (too thin) for their height.
  • According to a Lancet study in 2019, a staggering 68% of 1.04 million deaths of children under five years in India was attributable to malnutrition.
  • The ‘Food and Nutrition Security Analysis, India, 2019 report highlights the intergenerational transmission of poverty and malnutrition in India.
    • The report shows the poorest sections of a society caught in a vicious cycle of poverty and malnutrition which is passed on from generation to generation.


Impact of Covid-19 on Malnutrition

  • Covid-19 is pushing millions into poverty, reducing incomes of many more and disproportionately affecting the economically disadvantaged, who are also most vulnerable to malnutrition and food insecurities.
  • Also, pandemic-prompted lockdowns disrupted essential services — such as supplementary feeding under Anganwadi centres, mid-day meals, immunisation, and micro-nutrient supplementation which exacerbated malnutrition.

Way Forward

Promotion of Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Practices: First 1,000 days from the conception of a child till the child turns two years old, marking the most crucial period for nutrition interventions in a lifecycle.
  • Therefore, nutrition in the first 1,000 days will have the highest impact on the physical health, cognitive development, the academic and intellectual performance of the child.


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