India home to most stunted kids

Three Out Of Every 10 Underdeveloped Children Are From Country: Unicef Report

New Delhi: Underlining the dismal state of health and nutrition in Indian children, a Unicef report says that the country has a whopping 61 million stunted children, the largest in any country. In other words, 3 out of 10 stunted children are from India distantly followed by China that has 12 million children.
    Stunted growth is a consequence of long-term poor nutrition in early childhood. Stunting is associated with developmental problems and is often impossible to correct. A child who is stunted is likely to experience a lifetime of poor health and underachievement, a growing concern in India that is demographically a young nation. Astoundingly more than 90% of the developing world’s stunted children live in Africa and Asia.
    The findings of the ‘Tracking progress on child and maternal nutrition’ also point out that under nutrition contributes to more than a third of all deaths in children under five. Under nutrition is often invisible until it is severe, and children who appear healthy may be at grave risk of serious and even permanent damage to their health and development.
    Linking malnutrition to gender equality, the Unicef report also says that children’s health suffers
not just due to poor hygienic conditions and lack of nutritional food but also because the mother
herself is suffering from anemia and malnutrition during adolescence and child-bearing. “They become trapped in an intergenerational cycle of ill-health and poverty,’’ says the report.
    Of all the proven interventions, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months together with nutritionally adequate foods from six months can have a significant impact on child survival and stunting, potentially reducing the under five child mortality by 19% in developing countries.
    The report includes data showing that 16 developing countries successfully increased their exclusive breastfeeding rates by 20%, in periods ranging from 7 to 12 years.
Growing Concern
India has 61 mn stunted children, distantly followed by China with 12 mn
Over 90% of the developing world’s stunted kids live in Africa and Asia
Unicef report says under nutrition contributes to more than 1/3rd of all deaths in children under 5
WHAT IS STUNTED GROWTH?
Stunted growth is a result of long-term poor nutrition in early childhood. A stunted child is likely to experience a lifetime of poor health