LONDON: India is facing a serious burden of undernutrition, according to a global report released today which shows that more than half the women of reproductive age in the country suffer from anaemia.
The Global Nutrition Report 2017, which looked at 140 countries including India, found ‘significant burdens’ of three important forms of malnutrition used as an indicator of broader trends.
These include childhood stunting, anaemia in women of reproductive age, and overweight adult women.
Latest figures show that 38 per cent of children under five are affected by stunting – children too short for their age due to lack of nutrients, suffering irreversible damage to brain capacity.
About 21 per cent of children under 5 are defined as ‘wasted’ or ‘severely wasted’ – meaning they do not weigh enough for their height.
Over half of women of reproductive age – 51 per cent – suffer from anaemia – a serious condition that can have long term health impacts for mother and child.
More than 22 per cent of adult women are overweight, a rising concern as women are disproportionately affected by the global obesity epidemic, according to the report.
While the country has shown some progress in addressing under-5 stunting, it has made no progress or presents worse outcomes in the percentage of reproductive-age women with anaemia, and is off course in terms of reaching targets for reducing adult obesity and diabetes, the report said. (AGENCIES)
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