‘Historic’ reversal & ‘triple whammy’ — what NFHS data reveals about child nutrition in India

The Print’s (India) editor-in-chief Shekhar Gupta discussed in an article the data from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS 5), released last week which found a massive increase in malnutrition among children in the 22 surveyed states and Union Territories. The survey highlights some worrying trends that have emerged since 2015. Senior Research Fellow Purnima Menon is quoted as saying, “that this is a three-legged stool on which child nutrition sits. Two are sanitation and government support for nutrition, but the third more important leg is family income. And if the family income declines this becomes unbalanced.” There has been an overall decline in family incomes.