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Nutrition Special - Comprehensive Nutrition Survey in Maharashtra

Significant Improvement in Nutrition Status for Maharashtra's Under-two Children

The Government of Maharashtra released the preliminary findings of a Comprehensive Nutrition Survey conducted in 2012 with a focus on infants and children under-two and their mothers.

The survey has been carried out by the International Institute for Population Studies (IIPS), the same agency that has implemented the national DHS surveys in India in 1992, 1999, 2006 and upcoming 2013.

"Our best times in nutrition programming in the state are still ahead of us and we still take opportunity to reiterate our support and commitment to work alonng side the Government to stamp out the scourge of malnutrition," stated UNICEF India Country Representative, Mr. Louis-Georges Arsenault.

"What you are achieving in Maharashtra in a game changer in how child malnutrition is viewed and responded to in India." Mr. Arsenault added.

The preliminary findings of the survey indicate that the prevalence of stunting in children under-two decreased from 39.0 per cent in 2006 to 22.8 per cent in 2012.

Importantly, prevalence of severe stunting in children under-two decreased from 14.6 per cent in 2006 to 7.8 per cent in 2012. This positive trend is seen both in rural and urban areas. In-depth analysis by geographic location and wealth quintile are awaited.

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Feature/Photo Essay - Indian state's battle to build up its babies

Nurse Shaikh is part of a community of health workers leading the battle against malnutrition in Ahmednagar, a poor district in the western state of Maharashtra. Back in 2006, Maharashtra fared poorly in the Indian government's National Family Health Survey. The India-wide report showed that 40% of Maharashtra's children were underweight, an indication of general malnutrition.

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Key Publications

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