A situation analysis on malnutrition by food-intake practices: link to maternal and child mortality in India

Inadequate food and nutrition security affect malnutrition among women and children. This significant global public health issue increases the proportion especially towards maternal and child mortality. Malnutrition poses a grave danger to India’s socio-economic progress and maternal and child health improvement. The aim of the study was to understand the linkages between inadequate food-intake practices and their contribution to maternal and child mortality in India. A situation analysis was done using relevant secondary data from National Family Health Survey reports for assessing nutritional status, sample registration system compendium for evaluating mortality reduction, and National sample survey report was used for assessing per-capita consumption of calories intake. Published and unpublished literature, documents were used to identify linkages of food-intake practices, which increase the proportion of malnutrition and mortality. Findings depict a scarce improvement i. e.; only 109 reductions in maternal mortality (SRS 2007-09 to 2017-19), 5.8 per cent and 8.1 per cent reduction in infant and under-five mortality (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5). They are also increasing consumption of low-nutritive-value food items both in rural and urban India pulling into micronutrient deficiencies, resulting in maximising maternal and child mortality. Policies to intervene in the nutrition issues, agri-organic growth, food accessibility and quality utility, and gender equality would play a vital role in changing the food-intake behaviour among women with a significant impact on maternal and child health in India.