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The Bleakest Nutrition Figures at a Glance

India: The figures below are from the National Family Healthy Survey (NFHS III) 2005-2006 and have been rounded for easier understanding. The worst figures have been identified and the most striking differences highlighted with emphasis on the non-educated / well-educated (10 years and above) rather than the urban / rural divide.

The higher the education of the mother, the better the nutrition status of themselves and their child.

For more data, check Overview of India

1. For every ten children aged three or less, born to illiterate mothers, 5 children are stunted - too short for their age. This is a sign of chronic malnutrition. (Compared with: 2 children born to well-educated mothers)
    
2. For every ten children aged three or less, born to illiterate mothers, 5 children are underweight - too thin for their age. This is a sign of acute and chronic malnutrition. (Compared with: 3 children born to well-educated mothers)
    
3. For every ten children aged three or less, born to illiterate mothers, 2 children are wasted - too thin for his/her height. This is a sign of acute malnutrition and the child is at risk of dying from malnutrition or from any common child disease like diarrhoea or respiratory infections. (Compared with: 1 child born to well-educated mothers)
    
4. For every ten children aged 6-9 months, born to illiterate mothers, 5 children receive solid or semi-solid foods in addition to breast milk as recommended. (Compared with: 7 children born to well-educated mothers)
    
5. For every ten children aged one to three years, born to illiterate mothers, less than 2 children received Vitamin A supplementation in the last six months prior the survey. (Compared with: 3 children born to well-educated mothers)
    
6. For every ten illiterate women aged 15-49 years, 4 women have a Body Mass Index (BMI) below normal - too thin. (Compared with: 2 well-educated women). The prevalence of women with a lower BMI is two-fold higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
    
7. For every ten pregnant illiterate women, 6 women are anaemic but less than one takes Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation for 90 days as recommended. (Compared with: 5 well-educated pregnant women with an equal number accessing IFA supplementation as recommended)

In India, for every ten women, 4 women are illiterate and 6 are educated. 8 out of 10 illiterate women belong to the lowest wealth quintile.

Among the educated women, 2 are well-educated (10 years complete and above), less than 2 have 8-9 years complete and 2 have less than 8 years complete.

11 April, 2013