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Integration after and feed toddlers, and the mid-day meal scheme
at schools to ensure that children get at least one full
nutritious meal. These programs have been successful
to a large extent. The efforts are in the right direction
but the efforts will yield results only when we combine
of MIYCN & them with serious attention to bring linkages between
birth spacing family planning methods and other
nutrition-sensitive interventions.

Birth Spacing Poor maternal nutrition leads to poor birth outcomes.
Short pregnancy intervals are associated with an
increased risk of infants being born preterm, small-
for-gestational-age, and with low birth weight,
to Maximise all of which are associated with key indicators of
childhood undernutrition, including wasting, stunting,
underweight, and anaemia. Evidence shows that short
birth interval is associated with adverse nutritional
outcomes for the mother or the child. Birth too closely
Opportunities also affects the nutrition outcomes of all children in
the family when the mother’s ability to adequately care
for and feed her children is compromised due to too

of time and resources to provide adequate nutritious
notable shift in the future. By 2050, India’s population many young children to breastfeed at one time and lack
is projected to surge to 1668 million (1.668 billion), food and care for all children. We know that adolescent
surpassing China’s projected decline to 1317 million pregnancy can result in adverse nutritional outcomes
- By Dr. Sujeet Ranjan
(1.317 billion). This trend of India surpassing China has for both the mother and the foetus, with an increased
been anticipated for some time, though the expediting risk of adverse perinatal outcomes such as preterm
factor lies in China’s slowing population growth. Earlier birth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age.
Integration of birth he issue of planning with nutrition programs in this year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in
spacing family undernutrition which India. China reported a decrease of 850,000 individuals in Integration of family planning and reproductive health
affects survival,
services in nutrition programming, an important
2022 compared to the previous year.
planning services T productivity, and According to the recent World intervention, is often overlooked. To date, there has
development, health,
Population report released by
in nutrition economic growth is a complex UNFPA, India has surpassed China India has an enormous problem of malnourishment, been limited documentation on integrating family
planning with nutrition programs in India. I was part
being home to almost 25% of the world’s malnourished
programming, an and multi-dimensional issue. in terms of population, with India children. A study by the International Food Policy of a study program where we put an effort to fill the
The multidimensional effects
currently estimated at 142.86 crore
evidence gap in this area, and conducted a preliminary
important public of malnutrition make nutrition (1.4286 billion) and China at 142.57 Research Institute (IFPRI) shows that child marriages review including an evaluation of programs that have
and underage pregnancies are making a sizeable
health interventions imperative to crore (1.4257 billion). This significant contribution to this problem, drawing a clear correlation integrated family planning and nutrition, success stories
thereof, and plausible strategies to link the two.
incorporate a multi-sectoral and
shift in population dynamics marks
to the undernutrition of children born to adolescent
intervention, is integrated development approach. a significant milestone. To provide mothers. Researchers from IFPRI analysed the data
often overlooked Public health studies say that context, in 1990, China’s population relating to more than 60,000 first-time mothers across The study was divided into two broad components:
a) Literature Review and b) Secondary Data Analysis.
birth spacing plays an important
stood at 1144 million (1.144
the country from the National Family Health Survey.
role in nutritional status among billion), while India’s population was Through literature review, we captured studies
children under 5 years of age, with 861 million. As of last year, China The recent data from National Family Health Survey that show the influence of family planning (FP) on
shorter birth intervals increasing remained the most populous country (NFHS) - 5 reveals that India should more than ever maternal and child nutrition outcomes around the
the risk of both stunting and globally, with 1426 million people, focus on nutrition as it has not fared well. India world, programs that integrated FP and nutrition, their
being underweight. However, closely followed by India with has a number of programs aimed at bringing down challenges, and success stories. Whereas, secondary
to date, there has been limited 1412 million. However, the United malnutrition – the Integrated Child Development data analysis was carried out to study the current
documentation on integrating family Nations’ 2022 projections indicate a Scheme, the system of Anganwadi creches to look status of nutrition and family planning indicators

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