Frequently asked questions on child anthropometric failures in India

The National Family Health Survey is analysed to develop critical insights on child anthropometric failure in India. The analysis finds non-response of economic
growth on nutritional well-being and greater burden among the poor as two
fundamental concerns. This calls for strengthening developmental finance
for socio-economic upliftment as well as enhanced programmatic support
for nutritional interventions. The gaps in analytical inputs for programmatic
purposes also deserves attention to unravel intricacies that otherwise remain
obscured through customary enquiries. On the one hand, this may serve well
to improve policy targeting, and on the other, this can help comprehend the
nature and reasons of heterogeneities and inequities in nutritional outcomes
across subgroups. Strengthening the analytical capacities of programme
managers and health functionaries is recommended.Against this backdrop,
this paper outlines key programmatic concerns that require substantial
local-level insights for strategic feedback and course corrections to achieve
accelerated reductions in child undernutrition. The issues discussed are based
on the analysis of household survey data from NFHS 2015–16.