Context: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released first phase data from the fifth edition of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2019-20.

Key highlights of the Report

• Phase-1 results include data from 17 states and 5 Union Territories (including J&K) and capture the state of health in these states before the COVID pandemic.
• The NFHS-5 contains detailed information on population, health, and nutrition for India and its States and Union Territories.
• The NFHS-5 includes some new topics, such as preschool education, disability, access to a toilet facility, death registration, bathing practices during menstruation, and methods and reasons for abortion.

Population and Household profile

• The sex ratio of the total population (females per 1,000 males) increased in 17 states and UTs.

Children

• Several states across the country have reversed course and recorded worsening levels of child malnutrition despite dramatic improvements in sanitation and better access to fuel and drinking water.

Child (under 5 years of age) malnutrition parameters include-

Child stunting

• Chronic undernutrition- where the percentage of children who have low height for their age.
• Several big states have seen an increase in stunting.

Child wasting

• Acute undernutrition- where children having low weight for their height.
• India has always had a high level of child wasting which further increased in under 5 children in 12 states and UTs.

Share of children underweight-
Child mortality rate

• The neonatal mortality rate (NMR) – Number of death during the first 28 days of life (0-27 days), dropped in 15 states and UTs.
• The infant mortality rate (IMR) - Number of deaths per 1000 live births for children under the age of 1, fell in 18 states and UTs.
• Under-five mortality rate (UMR) - fell in 18 states and UTs.
• Breastfeeding practices weren’t improving.

Child vaccinations

• The survey found considerable improvement in vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months across all States/UTs.

Fertility Rate

• The fertility rate has further declined, and contraceptive use has increased in most Phase I States. 

Women

• Women who had experienced spousal violence increased from 20.6% to 44.4%.

About National Family Health Survey

• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in India was initiated in the early 1990s.
• They were conducted under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

The main objectives

• To strengthen India’s demographic and health database by providing information that is both reliable and relied upon.
• To strengthen the survey research capabilities of Indian institutions to provide, analyse, and disseminate high-quality data.
• To anticipate and meet the country’s needs for data on emerging health and family welfare issues.

NFHS data are also useful in-

• Setting benchmarks.
• Examining the progress of ongoing programmes.
• Identifying the need for new programmes with an area-specific focus.