National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6)
2023–24, Meghalaya recorded a significant decline in child stunting
¨
According to the National
Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) 2023–24, Meghalaya recorded a significant
decline in child stunting.
¨
The prevalence of
stunting among children under five years of age fell from 46.5% in NFHS-5
(2019–21) to 36.8% in NFHS-6.
¨
This represents a decline
of 9.7 percentage points.
¨
The national average for
stunting among children under five in NFHS-6 was 29.3%.
¨
The National Family
Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale household survey conducted in India to
collect data on population, health, and nutrition indicators.
¨
NFHS data are used to
assess child nutrition, maternal health, fertility, and family welfare
indicators across states and union territories.
¨
Stunting refers to low
height for age among children.
¨
It is widely used as an
indicator of chronic malnutrition.
¨
The World Health
Organization classifies stunting among children under five as a key child
nutrition indicator in public health surveys.
¨
According to NFHS-6,
76.4% of children in Meghalaya were breastfed within one hour of birth.
¨
The survey also found
that 97.1% of infants below six months of age were currently being breastfed.
¨ Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding are standard indicators used to assess child health and nutrition.
¨ The findings indicate notable progress in child nutrition and maternal-child health outcomes in Meghalaya.
