The
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released today the results from
the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), 2015-16.
These are available on Ministry’s website, www.mohfw.gov.in. Findings
for the 13 States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa, Haryana, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal and two Union Territories of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands and Puducherry show promising improvements in maternal
and child health and nutrition. Data collection for the second phase
States and Union Territories is currently ongoing.
The results
from NFHS-4 in 15 States/Union Territories indicate that fewer children
are dying in infancy and early childhood. After the last round of
National Family Health Survey in 2005-06, infant mortality has declined
in all first phase States/Union Territories for which trend data are
available. All 15 States/Union Territories have rates below 51 deaths
per 1,000 live births, although there is considerable variation among
the States/Union Territories. Infant mortality rates range from a low of
10 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to a high of 51 deaths per 1000 live
births in Madhya Pradesh.
Better care for women during pregnancy
and childbirth contributes to reduction of maternal deaths and improved
child survival. Almost all mothers have received antenatal care for
their most recent pregnancy and increasing numbers of women are
receiving the recommended four or more visits by the service providers.
More and more women now give birth in health care facilities and rates
have more than doubled in some States in the last decade. More than nine
in ten recent births took place in health care facilities in Andaman
and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Puducherry, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, providing safer environments for mothers and
new-borns.
Overall, women in the First Phase States/Union
Territories are having fewer children. The total fertility rates, or the
average number of children per woman, range from 1.2 in Sikkim to 3.4
in Bihar. All First Phase States/Union Territories except Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh and Meghalaya have either achieved or maintained replacement
level of fertility– a major achievement in the past decade.
Full
immunization coverage among children age 12-23 months varies widely in
the First Phase States/Union Territories. At least 6 out of 10 children
have received full immunization in 12 of the 15 States / Union
Territories. In Goa, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Puducherry more than
four-fifths of the children have been fully immunised. Since the last
round of National Family Health Survey, the coverage of full
immunization among children has increased substantially in the States of
Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, West Bengal and Meghalaya.
Married
women are less likely to be using modern family planning in eight of
the First Phase States/Union Territories. There has been any increase in
the use of modern family planning methods only in the States of
Meghalaya, Haryana, and West Bengal. The decline is highest in Goa
followed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Despite the decline, abouthalf or
more married women are using modern family planning in eight of the 15
States/Union Territories.
Poor nutrition is less common than
reported in the last round of National Family Health Survey. Fewer
children under five years of age are now found to be stunted, showing
intake of improved nutrition. In nine States/Union Territories, less
than one-third of children are found too short for their age. While this
reveals a distinct improvement since the previous survey, it is found
that in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Meghalaya more than 40% of children
are stunted. Wasting is still very high by international standards in
all of the States/Union Territories. Anaemia has also declined, but
still remains widespread. More than half of children are anaemic in ten
of the 15 States/Union Territories. Similarly, more than half of women
are anaemic in eleven States/Union Territories. Over-nutrition continues
to be a health issue for adults. At least 3 in 10 women are overweight
or obese in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Goa,
Puducherry, and Tamil Nadu.
Indian families in the First Phase
households are now more inclined to use improved water and sanitation
facilities. Over two-thirds of households in every State/Union Territory
have access to an improved source of drinking water, and more than 90%
of households have access to an improved source of drinking water in
nine of the 15 States/Union Territories. More than 50% of households
have access to improved sanitation facilities in all First Phase
States/Union Territories except Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Use of clean
cooking fuel, which reduces the risk of respiratory illness and
pollution, varies widely among the First Phase States/Union Territories,
ranging from only about 18% of households in Bihar to more than 70% of
households in Tamil Nadu and more than 80% of households in Puducherry
and Goa. About NFHS
The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey
(NFHS-4) is the fourth in a series of national surveys; earlier National
Family Health Surveys were carried out in 1992-93 (NFHS-1), 1998-99
(NFHS-2) and 2005-06 (NFHS-3). NFHS-4 is the first of the NFHS series
that collects data in each of India’s 29 States and all 7 Union
Territories. Also, NFHS-4, for the first time, will provide estimates of
most indicators at the district level for all 640 districts of the
country included in the 2011 Census. In NFHS-4, women aged 15-49 years
and men aged 15-54 years are interviewed. When the survey is completed
throughout the country, approximately 570,000 households would be
covered for information.
All National Family Health Surveys have
been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, Government of India, with the International Institute
for Population Sciences, Mumbai, serving as the nodal agency. ICF
International (formerly Macro International), Maryland, USA, provided
technical assistance for all four surveys. NFHS-4 funding was provided
by the Government of India, the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), the Department for International Development
(DFID), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), andtheMacArthur Foundation. Technical
assistance for the HIV component of the survey was provided by the
National AIDS Control Organization and the National AIDS Research
Institute.
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MV
(Release ID :134608)