Why we need to focus on nutrition, not hunger

GS Paper 2:

syllabus:  Issues related to health.

Source: Indian Express

 Direction: We already covered this topic in detail last week (as well as click here ). Here we are only including unique points.

Context: This is an editorial article which discusses the flaws in the methodology of ranking used in GHI 2022 and compares it with NFHS.

India’s criticism of GHI 2022:

The Indian government has questioned the methodology of GHI.

• GHI measures and ranks countries on a hunger index at the global, regional, and national levels, but not at the sub-national level where some Indian states fare better.
• The GHI’s stated aim is to reduce hunger around the world. But its methodology focuses disproportionately on less than five-year-olds.

Need of focus on NFHS:

Unlike the GHI, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) provides comparative state-level data, including the main pointers that determine health and nutrition.

• NFHS provides estimates of underweight, (low weight for age), stunting (low height for age) and wasting (low weight for height).
• These conditions affect preschool children (those less than 6 years of age) disproportionately and compromise a child’s physical and mental development while also increasing the vulnerability to infections.

Issues related to nutrition:

1. The first child nutrition challenge relates to breastfeeding. According to NFHS 5, Only 42 per cent of infants are breastfed within one hour of birth, which is the recommended norm.
2. The second issue relates to young child feeding practices. The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5) shows that the improvement in maternal and child health in India has been marginal over the last two years.
3. The third issue is the outcome of poor nutrition. According to NFHS 5, the percentage of stunted, wasted and underweight children is 36 per cent, 19 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.

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Q. How far do you agree with the view that the focus on the lack of availability of food as the main cause of hunger takes the attention away from ineffective human development policies in India? (2018)