India has 3rd highest No. of obese people after USA, China: Report
11 April 2015 5:15 AM IST
The dichotomy between rich and poor is evident in India’s nutrition landscape. With a burgeoning middle class, the number of overweight children is rapidly rising among all age groups – 11 per cent of adolescents, and 20 per cent of all adults. According to the latest data released by Malnutrition Mapping Project, after the United States and China, India has the third most overweight and obese people and malnutrition is still pervasive.
“A total of 56 per 1000 children die before their 5th birthday, and 47.9 per cent of children under the age of five are stunted. Half of pregnant women are anemic as are 74 per cent of children under five. Only 46 per cent of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life,” the report released on Thursday stated.
“This double burden of malnutrition is a serious global challenge. We need to build a clearer picture of where people are and what their nutritional status is in order to effectively target interventions,” said Dominic Schofield, director and senior technical adviser at GAIN. The report has been developed by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
“A total of 56 per 1000 children die before their 5th birthday, and 47.9 per cent of children under the age of five are stunted. Half of pregnant women are anemic as are 74 per cent of children under five. Only 46 per cent of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life,” the report released on Thursday stated.
“This double burden of malnutrition is a serious global challenge. We need to build a clearer picture of where people are and what their nutritional status is in order to effectively target interventions,” said Dominic Schofield, director and senior technical adviser at GAIN. The report has been developed by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition.
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