35.7 % children below 5 yrs are underweight

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015-16),  35.7 % children below five years are underweight, 38.4 % are stunted and 21 % are wasted in the country. In the state of Madhya Pradesh, 42.8 % children below five years are underweight, 42 % are stunted and 25.8 % are wasted.

The indicator “Children under 5 years who are underweight (weight-for-age)” is one of the composite indicator for child malnutrition. As per NFHS-4 data, the national average of children under 5 years who are underweight has reduced from 42.5 % as reported in NFHS-3 (2005-06) to 35.7% in NFHS-4 and in Madhya Pradesh during the same period, underweight children under 5 years has gone down from 60% (NFHS-3) to 42.8% (NFHS-4), according to a PIB release. In Madhya Pradesh, the districts Barwani and Sheopur have reported highest number of children ( 55 %) under 5 years who were  underweight during 2015-16 (NFHS-4).