The undernutrition conundrum in India: current scenario and the way forward

Abstract

In India, nutrient-deficient diets are a fact of everyday life for millions of people, and the largest undernourished population in the world lives in our country. Several factors are responsible for the current serious levels of malnutrition seen in the country, some of which are inadequate maternal nutritional status, unpredictable lactation behaviour, inappropriate infant and young children feeding practices, lack of women’s education, and scant regard for sanitation. High levels of child malnutrition potentially result in poor physical growth, recurrent childhood illnesses that further impede development, low cognitive skills and educational attainment, and diminished productivity in adult years, thus impeding socio-economic development of the country. Though several government programmes are in place, there is lack of effective use of nutritional data generated and knowledge gained across studies to address the multifaceted problem of undernutrition. The current grave circumstances of undernutrition in India emphasize on the urgent need to take appropriate actions to improve the nutrition of its population so as to enable the country to meet its Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.