INTRODUCTION
Malnutrition and Anaemia Scenario in India
- 38.4% of children under age of 3 are stunted, too short for their age and 46% are underweight, too thin for their age. Not much change since the year 1998 – 99.
- Wasting, defined as an abnormally low weight for the child’s height affects 19% of children under age of 3 with a slight deterioration from 1998 – 99.
- Overall, girls and boys are about equally likely to be undernourished. Under-nutrition is higher in rural areas and is strongly correlated with the level of maternal education showing a two-fold difference between non-educated mothers and 10-year and above educated mothers. This may be linked to a stark difference in access to a nutritious diet and complementary feeding at 6 – 9 months.
- Most children under age 3 are anaemic (79.2%). The prevalence is slightly higher in rural areas and among non-educated mothers. High prevalence of anaemia may be linked to poor variety of diet, poor hygienic conditions and limited access to iron supplementation. But they need other nutritionals and the folic acid to assimilate Iron.
Improvements Needed in Infant and Child Feeding and Micronutrient Intake
- Breastfeeding is nearly universal in India, less than half of children (46%) are fed only breast milk for the first 6 months. Exclusive breastfeeding is slightly higher among non-educated mothers and in rural areas. Work conditions and access to breast milk substitutes may impact feeding pattern among urban and better educated mothers.
- 23.4% of children are breastfed within an hour of birth and prevalence is significantly lower among the non-educated mothers and in rural areas. However, there has been overall improvement from 9.5% in 1992-93 and 16% in 1998–99.
- Only 55.8% of children aged 6 – 9 months receive solid or semisolid food and breast milk. The percentage is significantly lower among non-educated mothers and in rural areas, the prevalence in urban areas and among well-educated mothers is still less than 70% making complementary feeding a high-priority to be addressed.
- Only 44 percent of breastfeeding children 6-23 months are fed at least minimum recommended number of times per day (twice a day for children 6-8 months and three times for children 9-23 months) and only 36 percent are given food from at least 3 food groups, as recommended to ensure adequate diversity in their diet.
- Just 25% of children age 6-35 months received the valuable “vitamin A” supplements in the six months before the survey. The Government of India recommends twice yearly vitamin A supplements for children age 6 – 59 months.
A significant percentage of Women and Men Are Either Too Thin or Too Fat
- Malnutrition and anaemia are common among Indian adults. Both malnutrition and anaemia have increased among women since 1998-99.
- 33% of married women and 28% of men are too thin, according to body mass index (BMI), an indicator derived from height and weight measurements. Underweight is most common among the poor, the rural population, adults who have no education and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes and Rajasthan have many of them.
- Overweight and obesity, the other side of malnutrition, is a growing problem in India, affecting almost 15% of women and 12% of men. Overweight and obesity are most common in urban areas, in wealthier households, and among older adults.
Anaemia is Widespread
- 56.2% of women and 24.3% of men suffer from anaemia, and have lower than normal levels of blood haemoglobin. Anaemia has increased in ever-married women from 1998-99. Among pregnant women, anaemia has increased from 50% to 58%.
- Only 22.3% of pregnant women consume Iron and Folic Acid supplementation for 90 days and the percentage is less than 10% among the poor and non-educated women compared to 50% among the well-educated. Also the disparity between rural and urban areas is significant (18% and 34.5% respectively)
Many Households Are Vulnerable to Iodine Deficiency
- Iodine deficiency, which can lead to mental retardation, goitre, and complications of pregnancy, is easily prevented by using algae or salt fortified with iodine. Only 51% of the Indian households use adequately iodized salt and least use marine algae.
Malnutrition in Rajasthan
Malnutrition is India’s silent emergency and among the greatest human development challenges. Although the country has seen strong economic growth over the past decades, malnutrition remains a serious public health threat, with estimated 5.7 million children under 5 years of age who suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). 10% of these present with medical complications and require hospitalization.
Rajasthan is affected by malnutrition with an under 5 mortality rate of 57 and prevalence of SAM at 2.9%.It is against this backdrop the Government of Rajasthan’s National Health Mission, supported by GAIN, UNICEF and Action against Hunger is working to improve nutrition in state through Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM).
The successes, lessons learned and results of the POSHAN Project, the National Health Mission, Rajasthan, in partnership with the Inter-ministerial Task Force on the Severe Acute Malnutrition encouraged other Indian states to follow the Rajasthan example, Mr. Naveen Jain, Managing Director, National Health Mission, Rajasthan announced that in view of the excellent results achieved “The National Health Mission, Government of Rajasthan is geared up to scale up the POSHAN Project to cover 25,000 children in 62 districts”.
The Way Ahead:
Our own Sambhar and Jal mahal based naturally occurring micro plant’s so called algae or “Kae” are there since time immemorial or ages; to share and add on many needed nutritional benefits to POSHAN project of Rajasthan state. These two algae if termed and delivered as RASD – Rajasthani Algae Spirulina and Dunaliella can surely revolutionise the very aim and objective of eradicating anaemia, malnutrition and night blindness at one go with a meagre delivery of few a gram a day of both to children and women and expecting and lactating mothers could change the malnutrition, anaemia and night blindness infested scenario of our state and of the rest of motherland India in lieu of malnutrition, Anaemia and night blindness.
The natural pro Vitamin-A from Sambhar based alga Dunaliella salina; which is tamed and mastered our by Rajasthan based algologist; Dr. Randhir Singh Gajraj is ready to deliver a powerful antioxidant which can eradicate the cataract, heart ailments and also many a types of cancer among masses. It can be given as much needed Vitamin A in our livestock’s.
And Jal mahal base and ably domesticated by us; the other alga Spirulina can be the best ever know super health food packed with over 65% proteins, all 18 amino acids, 13 suitable vitamins, with all possible known health aiding antioxidants and minerals especially the Calcium and Iron in higher levels than milk and meat or even eggs and is a vegetarian source, making them easy to accept by Indian masses.
Sabran Bioenttri and Transtech Green Energy Pvt Ltd; leader in many an algae based biotech’s and innovations with all possible algal techs in its portfolio, is ready to shoulder project POSHAN via its RASD route and to train and get educated youth of our Rajasthan state for jobs at urban and rural areas to bring health, livelihood and income generation potential among masses with revenue to state.
Dr. Randhir S Gajraj
