BENGALURU: As many as 60.9 per cent of Karnataka’s children aged below five years suffer from anaemia, caused due to lack of/dysfunctional red blood cells in the body. This triggers a variety of problems like fatigue, skin pallor, shortness of breath, light-headedness, dizziness or palpitation among them.
Such symptoms have an adverse impact on their early education and well-being, which could in turn affect them in their subsequent growing years.
The statistics are provided along with details on prevalence of malnutrition-related disorders among Karnataka’s children in the the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-16), which also states that while 36.2 per cent of children in this age-group suffer stunted growth, 35.2 per cent are underweight.
A predominant cause for this disturbing health trend is the social factor, and nine districts of Koppal, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Bagalkot, Davanagere, Vijayapura, Haveri, and Bidar have been identified as high burden districts prone to malnutrition among children.
The only consolation is this: Dr Rajkumar N, deputy director (maternal health), said although the figures seemed high, they had actually reduced from the previous decade, when the National Family Health Survey-3 (2005-06) was published.
An official of the child health wing of the state’s health department said a lot of social factors were responsible for the high anaemia rate among the children.
The official admitted, “If people have good hygienic practices and an intake of a balanced diet, we can address the issue better. A lot of programmes are going on, but to be honest, anaemia is rampant.”
The official added that factors like lack of spacing (between kids born), adolescent marriage and pregnancies and larger family sizes caused children in these nine northern districts to be more affected by malnutrition; which is why the programmes carried out to address the issues are prioritised in these districts.
Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, chief clinical dietician for Apollo Group of Hospitals, explained the reason why malnutrition among children exists in the state: “We do not have a lot of iron fortification in our food, unlike the West; and the focus on micro-nutrient intake, especially iron, is not so great.”
She further explained that in addition to that, children are picky eaters, and of late, “there are a lot of ready-to-eat items available, such as chips or cakes. None of these are iron-fortified, and all you get is fat or carbohydrates.”
This trend had also increased gut issues among the children of Karnataka since the last survey.
Measures Taken By Health Department
As per an official of the child health wing of the state’s health department, children aged 0-5 years are supplied iron and folic acid supplements, and those between 6-10 years are prescribed tablets. Children with anaemia are referred to public health centres (PHCs) through Anganwadis; and, if required, they will consult a paediatrician of the district hospital concerned, she said. Dr Rajkumar N said cash assistance is being provided to certain pregnant women across the state. The ‘Tai Bhagya’ scheme engages women to take care of nutrition of pregnant women. Advocacy for iron intake is also carried out..
