Child Malnutrition Declines in Central India, but Stunting Remains a Concern

A new nutritional assessment among Korku tribal children in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra shows major gains against underweight and wasting, but long-term growth stunting continues to rise

KHANDWA, Madhya Pradesh (Indian Catholic News) — A recent nutritional assessment of children under five among the Korku tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra has revealed significant progress in reducing underweight and wasting, though stunting rates remain troublingly high.

The report, titled Nutritional Assessment of U5 Korku Children, covered 102 villages in the SABAL intervention areas of Khandwa district in Madhya Pradesh and Amravati district in Maharashtra. The study compared data collected in 2022 and 2023 as part of a community health initiative that involved both Anganwadi centres and door-to-door outreach.

Children were weighed and measured through village “Vajan Mela” or weighing festivals, followed by follow-up visits for those who could not attend. “Data collection was executed using smartphones with the KoBoCollect form, designed based on WHO’s anthropometric calculations,” the report said. A two-tier verification process ensured accuracy, with data reviewed by outreach workers and programme leads before analysis.

Sharp fall in underweight prevalence

The assessment found that the proportion of underweight children in the study area had dropped markedly over the one-year period. In 2022, only 36.2% of children were in the “normal” category, while 63.9% were underweight. By mid-2023, the percentage of normal-weight children had risen to 58.1%, representing a 60.7% increase.

“The midline assessment unveiled a remarkable 55.0% decrease in severe malnutrition cases,” the report noted. The number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) fell from 27.0% in 2022 to 12.1% in 2023, while moderate malnutrition (MAM) declined by nearly one-fifth.

Overall, the proportion of underweight children — including both SAM and MAM — decreased by more than one-third, from 63.9% in 2022 to 41.8% in 2023.

Wasting rates also improve

Wasting, or acute malnutrition, also showed signs of improvement. The percentage of children in the normal weight-for-height range rose from 65.2% in 2022 to 72.6% in 2023, an 11.5% increase.

The proportion of children with moderate wasting (MAM) declined sharply by 48.2%. However, the number of children categorised as severely wasted (SAM) showed a slight increase, rising by 12.0%.

The report concluded that “malnutrition percentage, in terms of wasting, upon taking together MAM and SAM was 34.8% in 2022. This came down to 27.4% which is a 21.3% reduction.”

Persistent challenge of stunting

While gains were seen in the short-term indicators of malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, or stunting, worsened slightly. Stunting, which reflects low height-for-age and results from long-term nutritional deprivation, increased from 62.2% in 2022 to 64.9% in 2023.

The share of children classified as severely stunted rose from 31.7% to 36.0%, a 13.3% increase. Meanwhile, the proportion of children in the normal range decreased from 37.8% to 35.2%.

“Stunting may result in permanent consequences in many cases,” the report warned, emphasising that the condition is often irreversible and can hinder a child’s full growth potential. “The efforts to recover or reverse malnutrition status have yielded limited success in the Stunting category,” it added.

Community mobilisation and next steps

The report credited much of the improvement in underweight and wasting categories to community mobilisation efforts, nutritional education, and improved access to food during the monsoon season, when most families return to their villages for farming.

It also underscored the need for continued focus on stunting prevention through maternal nutrition, early childhood feeding practices, and healthcare interventions.

“The positive shift in terms of nutritional recovery is substantial,” the report stated, while urging that “addressing stunting during early childhood is critical, as it can potentially lead to permanent impairment.”

Source: Nutritional Assessment of U5 Korku Children, SABAL Project, 2023.