Global Nutrition Report, 2021

Context: India has hardly made any progress on anaemia and childhood wasting according to the 2021 Global Nutrition Report (GNR, 2021). The annual Global Nutrition Report annual report sets out progress towards global nutrition targets.
About Global Nutrition Report

• The Global Nutrition Report was initiated during the first Nutrition for Growth Initiative Summit (N4G) in 2013.
• Aim: To inspire governments, civil society, and private stakeholders to act to end malnutrition in all its forms.
• The report is produced each year to cast a light on where progress has been made and identify major challenges.
• It plays an important role of helping stakeholders to account on the commitments they have made towards tackling malnutrition.

Background

• Since 2016, there has been a rise in anaemic Indian women. In 2016, 52.6 per cent of Indian women were anaemic. But in 2020, 53 per cent were found to be anaemic.
• But in 2020, 53 per cent were found to be anaemic. And while the country is 'on course' to meet the target for stunting, around 34.7 per cent of children under 5 years of age are still affected by it. This is higher than the average for the Asia region at21.8 per cent.
• The report adds that while India is on course to meet three targets for maternal, infant and young child nutrition (MIYCN), no progress has been made towards achieving the target of reducing anaemia among women of reproductive age.

Key Findings

• India featured among the 161 countries studied in the report as having made zero progress or said to be worsening with regards to reducing anaemia. 
• It added that 53.0 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years are now affected by anaemia.
• Similarly, it has made no progress on childhood wasting either. Wasting is referred to children whose weight is low for their height.
• In terms of achieving the target for wasting, India has made no progress with 17.3% of children under 5 years of age in the country being affected by it. This is higher than the average for the Asia region 8.9 per cent.
• India is 'off-course' in meeting seven of the 13 global nutrition targets, according to the report. 
• These include sodium intake, raised blood pressure (both men and women), obesity (both men and women) and diabetes (both men and women). 
• The country has shown zero progress towards achieving the target for obesity, with an estimated 6.2% per cent of adult (aged 18 years and over) women and 3.5 per cent of adult men living with obesity. 
• However, the country's obesity prevalence is lower than the regional average for Asia of 10.3 per cent for women and 7.5 per cent for men.
• Diabetes is estimated to affect 9.0 per cent of adult women and 10.2 per cent of adult men in the country.

Overall Scenario In Asia

• According to the report, anaemia affects an estimated 32.9 per cent of women of reproductive age in the Asia region. 
• About 17.3 per cent of infants have a low weight at birth and the estimated average prevalence of infants aged 0 to 5 months who are exclusively breastfed is 45.3 per cent, which is higher than the global average of 44.0 per cent.
• And although it performs relatively well against other regions, Asia still experiences a malnutrition burden among children aged under 5 years. 
• The average prevalence of overweight is 5.2 per cent, which is lower than the global average of 5.7 per cent. 
• The prevalence of stunting is 21.8 per cent, which is lower than the global average of 22.0 per cent. 
• The Asia region's prevalence of wasting is 8.9 per cent, which is higher than the global average of 6.7 per cent.
• An average of 11.4 per cent of adult (aged 18 and over) men in the region live with diabetes, compared to 9.5 per cent of women. Meanwhile, 10.3 per cent of women and 7.5 per cent of men live with obesity.

Overall aspect in terms of 
Poor Diet and Malnutrition

• Lower-income countries continue to have the lowest intakes health-promoting foods.
• Higher-income countries have the highest intakes of foods with high health and environmental impacts, including processed meat and dairy.
• These countries have the highest levels of overweight and obesity.

Financial costs of addressing poor Diets and Malnutrition

• Additional financing required to meet nutrition targets has grown significantly, due to the impacts of Covid-19.
• A cost of US$10.8 billion would be required annually between 2022 and 2030 to meet global nutrition targets on stunting, wasting, maternal anaemia.
• Around US$39−50 billion needed annually to meet both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive needs.

Key Challenges

• No country is on track to achieve the target on reducing salt intake or to halt the rise in adult obesity.
• No global targets are set to address micronutrient deficiencies.
• There is no specific target that captures malnutrition among children and adolescents.
• 155 million people are pushed into extreme poverty globally, as a result of the pandemic.
• Global food demand is creating (35%) of all greenhouse emissions and using substantial number of environmental resources.
• No region is on track to meet the set of Sustainable Development Goals aimed at limiting the health and environmental burdens related to diets and food system.

Suggestions

• More financing in tackling nutrition related problems is required.
• Traditional forms of financing for nutrition like external and domestic, must be sustained and increased.
• Policy initiatives are urgently needed to transform food systems.
• Global nutrition monitoring must expand to key targets for improving diets and health that go beyond micronutrient deficiencies, hunger, and excess weight.
• Better granular data is needed to understand the current state of nutrition, and ensure that impact can be measured and monitored.
• Stakeholders should focus more on nutrition action that supports equitable, healthy, and sustainable diets for all.