BHUBANESWAR: The risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the 5-19 age group is growing in Odisha. Even as the burden of child stunting has come down, the recent nutrition survey revealed rising risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart and chronic kidney diseases among children and adolescents.
The Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS) 2016-18 found that two in 10 schoolchildren and adolescents were pre-diabetic with fasting plasma glucose level between 100 mg/dl and 126 mg/dl.
While 19.2 per cent children in 5-19 age group are pre-diabetic against the national average of 10.3 per cent, about 1.6 per cent are diabetic. Among the adolescents in 10-19 age-group, 18.9 per cent are pre-diabetic and 0.6 per cent are diabetic. The national average is 10.4 per cent and 0.6 per cent in the age group.
The State has around 12.6 per cent of adolescents in 10-19 age group and 10.1 per cent children in 5-9 age group with elevated glycosylated haemoglobin concentration (HbA1c) against the national average of 9.5 per cent and 9.2 per cent, respectively.
At least 1.2 per cent adolescents in 10-19 age group and 0.2 per cent children in 5-9 age group in the State are at the risk of chronic kidney disease as they have been found with high serum creatinine. The first ever national nutrition survey of children and adolescents in the country revealed growing lipid disorders, which include high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol among the adolescents in the State.
While 3.9 per cent population in 5-19 age group have high total cholesterol and 9.1 per cent adolescents in 10-19 age group have high triglycerides, 5.4 per cent adolescents are hypertensive against the national average of 3.7 per cent, 16.1 per cent and 4.9 per cent respectively. About 19.8 per cent, 6.7 per cent and 18.7 per cent children aged 1-4, 18.3 per cent, 12.4 per cent and 15.8 per cent children aged 5-9 and 19.1 per cent, 18.4 per cent, 42.4 per cent adolescents aged 10-19 have vitamin A, D, zinc deficiency, respectively.
The severity of anaemia varied across age groups. Among pre-schoolers, 23.8 per cent had mild anaemia, 12.2 per cent moderate anaemia and 1.1 per cent severe anaemia. Among schoolchildren, 12.8 per cent had mild anaemia, 14.1 moderate anaemia and 0.4 per cent severe anaemia. Similarly, 19.9 per cent adolescents had mild anaemia, 8.6 per cent moderate anaemia and one per cent severe anaemia.
Though as per the NFHS-4, at least 34.1 per cent children under the age of five were stunted in 2015-16, the CNNS found 29.1 per cent children aged 0-4 years are stunted and 29.2 per cent are underweight. However, 7.8 per cent adolescents in the State are overweight.
Odisha children topped the list of States in consumption of legumes and nuts and ranked second in consumption of grain, roots and tubers, third in consumption of cereal and green leafy vegetables. The State is second and fourth from bottom in consumption of milk or curd and fruits, respectively.
The survey, billed as the largest micronutrient survey ever implemented globally, used gold standard methods to assess anaemia, micronutrient deficiencies and biomarkers of NCDs for the first time in India.