Abstract
India has made some progress in reducing anemia among children aged 6–59 months between 2006 and 2016. However, the latest figures from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) suggest that most of this improvement has been reversed, with anemia increasing among non-pregnant and non-lactating women. The high rates of anemia among Indian women are primarily caused by poor nutritional status, particularly the decrease in coarse cereals in the Indian diet, leading to reduced iron intake.
The authors highlight the spatial variations in the prevalence of anemia across districts in India, with poorer communities recording higher prevalence. Poor environmental sanitation, unsafe drinking water, inadequate personal hygiene, and poor-quality healthcare infrastructure contribute to the prevalence of anemia. The chapter also suggests strategies to minimize childhood anemia, such as improving nutritional intake and addressing maternal anemia, poverty, and food insecurity.
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Notes
- 1.
Our computations slightly differ from the average levels (53.1% for women and 67.1% for children) reported in the NFHS-5 report due to the weighting method used.
- 2.
The original NFHS dataset and the spatial analysis methodology are described in detail in Chap. 1.
- 3.
Odds ratios measure the strength of the correlation with the outcome variable. Values above (below) one correspond to a positive (negative) association.
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Srivastava, A., Boro, B. (2023). Anemia Among Children and Women in India. In: Guilmoto, C.Z. (eds) Atlas of Gender and Health Inequalities in India. Demographic Transformation and Socio-Economic Development, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47847-5_5
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