Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Malnutrition cases in Maharashtra under-reported, finds survey -Tabassum Barnagarwala

Malnutrition cases in Maharashtra under-reported, finds survey -Tabassum Barnagarwala

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Apr 16, 2018   modified Modified on Apr 16, 2018
-The Indian Express

The preliminary findings in three of these districts — Pune, Nandurbar and Raigad — show that percentage of wasting and of under-nutrition is higher than as recorded by the NFHS-4 and the Integrated Child Development System (ICDS).

Mumbai:
A survey by the public health department in four districts of Maharashtra has found significant under-reporting of malnutrition cases. The preliminary findings in three of these districts — Pune, Nandurbar and Raigad — show that percentage of wasting and of under-nutrition is higher than as recorded by the National Family Health Survey-4 and the Integrated Child Development System (ICDS), a scheme that provides free, nutritious meals to children.

In Pune, for instance, the survey found that 28.18 per cent children, aged less than six, were underweight as opposed to ICDS records that registered 10.38 per cent underweight children. Malnutrition was found in 14.5 per cent cases in contrast to 5.03 per cent under ICDS.

The government survey was conducted after a non-government organisation (NGO) presented similar findings from a study of 25 anganwandis in October last year. The previous study conducted by NGO Sathi surveyed 1,659 children and found that anganwadis had no or incomplete records of 50.9 per cent of the children. An anganwadi is a centre where free, nutritious meals are provided to children aged less than six under the ICDS scheme, which is run by the Women and Child Development Department.

The Sathi study further said there were 29.1 per cent malnourished children, and proportion of under-reporting was higher in Palghar and Nandurbar. As opposed to the Sathi study, under National Family Health Survey-4 (NFHS-4), the prevalence of severe acute malnutrition stands at 9.4 per cent and that of moderate acute malnutrition at 16.5 per cent in Maharashtra.

Following the findings, the public health department was directed to conduct a detailed survey across 15 primary health centres in Nandurbar, Raigad, Pune and Palghar through a team of medical officers, child development project officers and Sathi representatives.

The survey began in November last year, and is yet to cover children in Palghar. The preliminary findings say that presence of “medical officers and trained supervisors yields higher rates of detection”. It recommended that anganwadis require capacity building and standardisation in measuring equipment to diagnose SAM (severe acute malnourishment) and MAM (moderate acute malnourishment) of children.

In Pune’s Junnar block, the public health department found that of the 809 children surveyed, 118 or 14.59 per cent were wasted. Of these, 103 were MAM (12.7 per cent). When compared, ICDS records found only 5.03 per cent wasting and 4.02 percent MAM in Pune.

Similarly, there was disparity in records of underweight children. The ICDS data of 50 anganwandis in Pune showed 10.3 per cent children were underweight, while the latest health survey diagnosed 28.18 children as underweight.

In Nandurbar, across 174 anganwadis 9,744 children were analysed. Of these, 94 were found SAM and 305 MAM.

Nandurbar is also the district with highest deaths related to malnutrition in Maharashtra. Local activists allege that anganwadi workers do not regularly visit the centres to serve meals to enrolled children in the tribal district.

In Raigad’s Karjat block, 1,621 children were observed and malnutrition was found in 8.9 per cent of them.

Please click here to read more.


The Indian Express, 16 April, 2018, http://indianexpress.com/article/india/malnutrition-cases-in-maharashtra-under-reported-finds-survey-nfhs-4-5138960/


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close