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“Children Aged 6-59 Months Who Are Anaemic” refers to the proportion of young children within this age group who have insufficient levels of haemoglobin in their blood, a condition known as anaemia. Haemoglobin, a protein found in red blood cells, is essential for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Anaemia in children can result from nutritional deficiencies, particularly a lack of iron, folate, or vitamin B12, as well as infections or chronic diseases.
This indicator is critical because anaemia can impair cognitive and physical development, weaken the immune system, and increase susceptibility to infections, significantly affecting a child’s growth and well-being. It is commonly measured through blood tests that assess haemoglobin levels, with thresholds established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify different severities of anaemia. Monitoring this indicator helps track children’s health and nutritional status, guiding policies aimed at reducing malnutrition and improving child health outcomes.
Kerala consistently maintained relatively lower anaemia rates among children aged below five years (ranging from 44.5% to 39.4%) compared to other states. In stark contrast, states like Gujarat reported a concerning trend where the anaemia’s prevalence rose from 69.7% in 2005-06 to 79.7% in 2019-21. Even though northeastern states like Manipur and Mizoram recorded notable improvement between NFHS-3 (2005–06) and NFHS-4 (2015–16), where the burden of anaemia fell to 23.9% and 19.3%, respectively, these states once again saw an increase in NFHS-5. However, Assam also showed the same fluctuation pattern, with a dramatic improvement in NFHS-4 (35.7%) but a subsequent deterioration to 68.4% in NFHS-5, suggesting challenges in sustaining interventions. Large states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh, which have significant child populations, showed consistently high anaemia levels above 65%, indicating a substantial public health challenge. Maharashtra reported an exciting trend with initial improvement from 63.4% to 53.8%, but a significant increase to 68.9% in the latest survey suggests a possible deterioration in nutritional interventions or other contributing factors. The most concerning part of this analysis is that despite decades of nutritional programs and interventions, no state has managed to bring child anaemia rates below 35% in the latest survey (NFHS-5), indicating a persistent and widespread public health challenge across India. This suggests the need for more targeted, sustained, and possibly revised approaches to addressing childhood anaemia in the country.
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