Over 77 per cent of children between the age group of 6 to 23 months have inadequate dietary diversity in Maharashtra, where one out four children are malnourished, as revealed by a study published in 'The National Medical Journal Of India'. The study highlights that these children fail to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) standards for Minimum Dietary Diversity.
The Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD) measures a child’s diet quality by ensuring they consume at least five of eight food groups such as grains, dairy, fruits and proteins, in a single day. This is useful for estimating the likelihood of experiencing nutrient deficiencies in children 6 to 23 months old.
The study, led by Gaurav Gunnal from the International Institute for Population Sciences, found that Maharashtra, along with 7 other states including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, had alarmingly high levels of dietary failure.
Nationwide, 77% of children in this age group were classified as MDD failures (MDDf) as per the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) conducted in 2019-2021. This is a slightly improved figure from 87% recorded in the National Family Health Survey-3.
Dietary diversity was notably poorer among girls, children from lower socio-economic backgrounds, those who lacked access to anganwadi centres and children born to younger mothers. The deficiency in essential nutrients not only stunts physical growth but also hinders cognitive and motor development, weakens immunity, poor metabolism, memory and increases susceptibility to infections.
Dr. Abhay Shukla from Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, emphasized Maharashtra’s concerning levels of “wasting,” with over 25% of children affected, putting them at a heightened risk of life-threatening infections. The findings stress the critical need for improving nutrition and access to diverse diets to ensure healthier growth and development outcomes.
