Home / Health / Odisha Child Malnutrition: Tribal Regions Lag Behind
Odisha Child Malnutrition: Tribal Regions Lag Behind
12 Sep
Summary
- Child stunting decreased in several Odisha districts but remains high in tribal areas.
- Wasting rates have increased in many tribal districts since the last survey.
- Puri shows best performance, while coastal districts generally outperform tribal regions.
Recent data from Odisha's NFHS-6 survey reveals a mixed picture regarding child nutrition. While the state has seen a reduction in child stunting from 31% to 26.8% between NFHS-5 and NFHS-6, acute malnutrition, particularly wasting, has worsened, increasing from 18.1% to 22.1% statewide. This indicates a growing challenge in addressing immediate nutritional needs.
The survey highlights a stark contrast between coastal and tribal regions. Districts such as Puri, Khurda, and Jagatsinghapur exhibit low rates of stunting, wasting, and underweight children, performing significantly better than the state average. In contrast, tribal districts continue to struggle with high rates of malnutrition.
Specific tribal districts like Rayagada and Koraput report the highest stunting prevalence, while Malkangiri, Keonjhar, and Gajapati have seen a deterioration in wasting rates. Mayurbhanj emerged as the worst performer for wasting. Despite some improvements in severe wasting in certain districts, the overall trend in tribal areas remains concerning, with underweight prevalence also concentrated in these regions.
