explain the nutrition problem in India?
Answers
Explanation:
Nutritional problems like protein energy malnutrition (PEM), anemia and vitamin A deficiency continue to plague a large proportion of Indian children. The diets and nutritional status of urban slum children in India is far away from being satisfactory. The nutritional status of slum children is worst amongst all urban groups and is even poorer than the rural average. Urban migration has not provided them salvation from poverty and undernutrition. Another distressing feature is the lack of any significant improvement over the years in this population. Most common causes of malnutrition include faulty infant feeding practices, impaired utilization of nutrients due to infections and parasites, inadequate food and health security, poor environmental conditions and lack of proper child care practices. High prevalence of malnutrition among young children is also due to lack of awareness and knowledge regarding their food requirements and absence of a responsible adult care giver. With increasing urban migration in the years ahead, the problem of malnutrition in urban slums will also acquire increasing dimension unless special efforts are initiated to mitigate the health and nutrition problems of the urban poor. Improving nutritional status of urban poor requires a more direct, more focused, and more integrated strategy.
Key words: Infant feeding, Nutrition, Urban slums.
The urban population is rapidly expanding because of large-scale migration to cities for a possible better life. The cities and towns are also expanding but the sheer volume of people compromises the ability of the city to meet their basic needs. A large proportion of this migrating population ends up residing in slums in inhuman conditions. As a result, urban poverty and hunger are increasing in many developing countries.
Lack of basic amenities like safe drinking water, proper housing, drainage and excreta disposal make this population vulnerable to infections which further compromises the nutrition of those living in the slums. It is projected that more than half of the Indian population will live in urban areas by 2020 and nearly one third of this urban population will be of slum dwellers(1,2). The ongoing process of rapid urbanization has deleterious repercussions on health and nutrition especially for children. Malnutrition in young children has long-term negative effects on physical and cognitive development. Addressing nutritional problems of urban poor is therefore must for overall development of the country.