Present Scenario of Nutritional Status of Mother and Child in India

By: Rajat Nautiyal
B.Sc, Agriculture Hons., College of Agriculture, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, Pin- 263145
Email ID- rajatnautiyal3jun@gmail.com

 

Mother's Day-2020 #  Mother's Nutrition # Nutritional Care

Introduction

This article explains the child and maternal care practices among women from India. The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed review about the common practices, difficulties and the easiest solutions to some of the major problems relating to nutritional status and sufficiency of food to each and every unit of population. Our most important future goal is to do something about nutritional up-gradation to children and pregnant mothers in India and other developing countries, as these countries are the areas where the majority of the population is undergoing this major issue. It would surely change the mental and physical health of our population in years to come. 

Scenario: Indian context

It can be said that upto 6 months the mother is supposed to be the only nutritional source for the growing and developing child. Good maternal nutrition during pregnancy promotes healthy weight to the new born, during breastfeeding mother supplements all basic necessities for proper growth of child and even after 6 months mothers should be efficient enough to handle and look after the child. Ineffective nutrition is the cause for more than half of the child death. The basic reasons behind this are malnutrition which weakens the body's immunity to illness, poor diet, frequent illness, and inattentive and inadequate care of developing children in progressing countries

India is a large developing country. With a population estimate close to 1.38 Billion, it's one of the fastest growing economies and despite the economic growth during recent decades, India still prevails an unacceptably poor status of nutrition accessibility and health care among its citizens either due to the lack of economic equality or the insufficient quality diet that triumphs for survival.

In humans, an unhealthy or under nutrition diet leads to a number of deficiencies and diseases that often can lead to death. While the country is applying some major steps to improve the quantity and quality of food to each section of society, there is still a large portion that remains untouched by the efforts.

Although, Malnutrition affects people of every age group, children are more likely to get affected due to the improper body growth and weak immune system that may lead to stunting, wasting and other health threatening conditions.  

In 2018, estimated 8,82,000 children under five died in India, which was the highest in the world according to a report released by UNICEF which apparently should if not question our ability and work done in saving the future of our country in this regard. And According to the Global nutrition Report of 2018, India contributes one third of world's stunted children, which is definitely a non- remarkable statement. Even while the government is working under POSHAN and other health care schemes, we still are way behind to improve the quality of life of our people in terms of heath. According to UNICEF, in 2019, 69% of deaths due to malnutrition were witnessed below the age of five in India which means that malnutrition is definitely more prominent among children in our country and we are somehow lacking to provide what is supposedly best for even the new born and young ones.

We knowingly or unknowingly are unable to provide the best in terms of health, diet and nutrition that leads to a lot more acuteness than we realize after ignorance. Malnutrition today is a big obstacle not just for India but the whole world. And what is more disturbing is that we still are not able to fight against it on a large scale when the condition is so apparent globally. It was never much and will never be enough to ask for a healthy present and a nutritional future for thousands of those who are still waiting with their bowls in hand needing to get it filled with proper appetite of food rather than hopes.

Conclusion

Nutrition is crucial to both individual and national development. The good nutrition is a prime mover of a wide range of developing goals. It can be concluded by focusing on some of the principal objectives i.e. the amplification of the child's nutritional status, reduction in child and women mortality and reduction of the risk of various infections. The solution of these social problems lies somewhere in society itself. Socio-cultural factors of feeding practices must be incorporated in the design targeted at improving nutritional status. Maternal nutritional status appears to affect milk quality that is more variable and least understood.

Determinants that discourage mothers from breastfeeding should be handled by educating mothers, nurses, physicians, and other health care providers. Efforts can be focused toward the deduction of bacterial contamination of food prepared and processed food materials fed to children and toward the improvement of the nutrient content which may lead us and our country towards a better and healthy tomorrow

 "Care of mother is the ultimate care of child."

References

• https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/malnutrition-behind-69-per-cent-deaths-among-children-below-5-years-in-india-unicef-report/articleshow/71618288.cms
• https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-has-one-third-of-worlds-stunted-children-global-nutrition-report/articleshow/66865016.cms  

Rajat Nautiyal
B.Sc, Agriculture Hons., College of Agriculture, GBPUA&T, Pantnagar
Udham Singh Nagar, Uttarakhand, Pin- 263145
Email ID- rajatnautiyal3jun@gmail.com