Nutritional status of school-age children (5-19 years) in South Asia: A scoping review.

Information on malnutrition for school-age children and adolescents (5-19 years) in South Asia is fragmented and inconsistent, which limits the prioritization of nutrition policies, programmes and research for this age group. This scoping review aimed to synthesize existing evidence on the burden of malnutrition for children and adolescents aged 5-19 years in South Asia, and on interventions to improve their nutritional status. Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline and Google Scholar were systematically searched for articles published between January 2016 and November 2022. Eligible studies reported the prevalence of undernutrition, overweight/obesity, micronutrient deficiencies and unhealthy dietary intakes, and interventions that aimed to address these in South Asia. In total, 296 articles met our inclusion criteria. Evidence revealed widespread, yet heterogeneous, prevalence of undernutrition among South Asian children and adolescents: thinness (1.9%-88.8%), wasting (3%-48%), underweight (9.5%-84.4%) and stunting (3.7%-71.7%). A triple burden of malnutrition was evident: the prevalence of overweight and obesity ranged from 0.2% to 73% and 0% to 38% (with rapidly rising trends), respectively, alongside persistent micronutrient deficiencies. Diets often failed to meet nutritional requirements and high levels of fast-food consumption were reported. Education, fortification, supplementation and school feeding programmes demonstrated beneficial effects on nutritional status. Comprehensive and regular monitoring of all forms of malnutrition among children and adolescents, across all countries in South Asia is required. Further, more large-scale intervention research is needed to ensure policy and programmes effectively target and address malnutrition among children and adolescents in South Asia

Analysis of Key Nutrition Indicators Based on National Family Health Survey, NFHS 4 (2015-16) and NFHS 5 (2019-2021)

This analysis on key nutrition indicators from successive rounds of the NFHS (4 and 5) is based on all-India and State/UT level factsheet released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). The analysis includes: 1. National level trends from NFHS-3 (2005-06), NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21) data for 44 indicators including outcomes, service delivery and key determinants of nutrition. 2. State level trends of same indicators- number of states showing improvement / worsening (± 0.1 percent point change), /no change for these indicators, spatial maps based on change in prevalence for these indicators; and charting State performance with respect to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 2030) targets. This presentation will be useful for policy makers, State administrators, public health experts, research scholars and research institutes in the area of maternal and child health & Nutrition

Screening and management options for severe thinness during pregnancy in India

This paper answers research questions on screening and management of severe thinness in pregnancy, approaches that may potentially work in India, and what more is needed for implementing these approaches at scale. A desk review of studies in the last decade in South Asian countries was carried out collating evidence on six sets of strategies like balanced energy supplementation (BEP) alone and in combination with other interventions like nutrition education. Policies and guidelines from South Asian countries were reviewed to understand the approaches being used. A 10-point grid covering public health dimensions covered by World Health Organization and others was created for discussion with policymakers and implementers, and review of government documents sourced from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Eighteen studies were shortlisted covering Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. BEP for longer duration, preconception initiation of supplementation, and better pre-supplementation body mass index (BMI) positively influenced birthweight. Multiple micronutrient supplementation was more effective in improving gestational weight gain among women with better pre-supplementation BMI. Behavior change communication and nutrition education showed positive outcomes on dietary practices like higher dietary diversity. Among South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and Nepal are the only two countries to have management of maternal thinness in their country guidelines. India has at least nine variations of supplementary foods and three variations of full meals for pregnant women, which can be modified to meet additional nutritional needs of those severely thin. Under the National Nutrition Mission, almost all of the globally recommended maternal nutrition interventions are covered, but the challenge of reaching, identifying, and managing cases of maternal severe thinness persists. This paper provides four actions for addressing maternal severe thinness through available public health programs, infrastructure, and human resources.</p

Population estimates and determinants of severe maternal thinness in India

Objective: To examine prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of maternal severe thinness in India. Methods: This mixed methods study analyzed data from the Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015–2016) to estimate the prevalence of and risk factors for severe thinness, followed by a desk review of literature from India. Results: Prevalence of severe thinness (defined by World Health Organization as body mass index [BMI] &lt;16 in adult and BMI for age Z score &lt; –2 SD in adolescents) was higher among pregnant adolescents (4.3%) compared with pregnant adult women (1.9%) and among postpartum adolescent women (6.3%) than postpartum adult women (2.4%) 2–6 months after delivery. Identified research studies showed prevalence of 4%–12% in pregnant women. Only 13/640 districts had at least three cases of severely thin pregnant women; others had lower numbers. Three or more postpartum women aged ≥20 years were severely thin in 32 districts. Among pregnant adolescents, earlier parity increased odds (OR 1.96; 95% CI, 1.18–3.27) of severe thinness. Access to household toilet facility reduced odds (OR 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52–0.99]. Among mothers aged ≥20 years, increasing education level was associated with decreasing odds of severe thinness (secondary: OR 0.74; 95% CI, 0.57–0.96 and Higher: OR 0.54; 95% CI, 0.32–0.91, compared with no education); household wealth and caste were also associated with severe thinness. Conclusion: This paper reveals the geographic pockets that need priority focus for managing severe thinness among pregnant women and mothers in India to limit the immediate and intergenerational adverse consequences emanating from these deprivations.</p