Predicted Interventions for Improving the Nutritional Status of Vulnerable Groups of Uttarakhand: Evidence from Comparison between NFHS-5 and NFHS-4 Survey

Abstract

Background: Nutritional status is an indicator of the overall well-being of a people. In view of this effect, a study was undertaken to compare the nutritional status of vulnerable groups (viz women of reproductive age group 15 to 49 years, pregnant women’s, adolescent girls and children aged 6 to 59 months of Uttarakhand. Methods: The data of the state under study was compared with national data. NFHS 4 and 5 data were used to analyse the health and nutritional trend of the identified groups over the reporting period of 5 years, to identify interventions and to help formulate policies for improving the nutritional status of the state. Result: The decreasing trend in the case of underweight women and the increasing trend in the percentage of overweight women were noted in every district. In the case of anemia among children aged 6 to 59 months, most of the districts had managed to reduce the prevalence of anemia in the last 5 years. Most of the districts have seen a decreased trend in anemia among pregnant women and among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years. The study reveals that the nutritional status of the vulnerable population of Uttarakhand has improved over the last five years, however, still, some districts (Tehri Garhwal, Dehradun, Chamoli, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag) need special attention. A comparison of the improvement between the state and national data depicts that the state of Uttarakhand performed better than the nation in all categories except in reducing the cases of undernutrition in women. It may be postulated from the study that health and nutritional programmes have been effective in meeting their targets to a great extent. However, to further improve the condition of the population, district-specific developmental programmes need to be formulated, with a special focus on eradicating undernutrition among women.