Should India adopt a country-specific growth reference to measure undernutrition among its children?
Publication information:
Subramanian SV, Khailkar A, Karlsson O, al.
Should India adopt a country-specific growth reference to measure undernutrition among its children? The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia. 2023;9:100107.
Abstract
| The Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS) currently serves as a universal standard to assess stunting, wasting and underweight prevalence in children as a means to develop international and country-specific targets for reducing child undernutrition. However, height-based anthropometric measures are highly sensitive to the choice of growth reference charts. |
| Our recent NFHS-5 analysis of 211,164 children in India uses the Indian Urban Middle Class (IUMC) reference instead, and reveals a significantly lower prevalence of stunting and wasting in India compared to MGRS. In order to achieve its target SDG goals in the next 8 years, India should give careful consideration to the most realistic and appropriate reference for setting national targets around child undernutrition, to ensure that effort and resources are being directed to the children in the most need. |