India Sees Gains in Child Nutrition and Immunisation, but Obesity on the Rise: NFHS-6
India has made notable progress in child health, nutrition and immunisation, according to the sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) for 2023-24, released by the Union Health Ministry on Friday.
The survey highlights improvements in key child nutrition indicators, with stunting among children under five declining from 35.5 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 29.3 per cent in NFHS-6. Severe wasting, a condition marked by dangerously low weight for height, also fell from 7.7 per cent to 5.2 per cent.
Health officials attributed the progress to coordinated efforts across multiple ministries aimed at tackling malnutrition and improving child welfare. Early breastfeeding practices also improved, with the proportion of children breastfed within one hour of birth rising from 41.8 per cent to 50.1 per cent.
Maternal healthcare indicators showed positive trends as well. Nearly 96 per cent of pregnant women received antenatal care, while the share of mothers receiving care during the first trimester increased from 70 per cent to 76.2 per cent. Women receiving at least four antenatal visits rose from 58.5 per cent to 65.2 per cent.
The survey also reported a decline in tobacco use among both men and women and a reduction in the proportion of young women aged 18-29 who experienced sexual violence before the age of 18, falling from 1.2 per cent to 0.7 per cent.
Health insurance coverage expanded significantly, with household coverage increasing from 41 per cent to 60.2 per cent, reflecting the impact of government programmes aimed at improving financial protection in healthcare.
India also moved closer to universal immunisation. Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months increased from 83.8 per cent to 87.1 per cent, while 95.6 per cent of vaccinations were administered through public health facilities. Rotavirus vaccine coverage recorded a major jump from 36.4 per cent to 85.4 per cent, and coverage of the second dose of the measles vaccine increased from 58.6 per cent to 71.8 per cent.
Despite these gains, the survey highlighted growing concerns over non-communicable diseases. Obesity among men aged 15-49 rose from 22.9 per cent to 27.3 per cent, while obesity among women in the same age group increased from 24 per cent to 30.7 per cent.
Conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the nodal agency, NFHS-6 covered nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts. The survey provides critical data on health, nutrition, population and family welfare, helping guide policy decisions and programme implementation across the country.