Making nutritious food more affordable and accessible to poor families, boosting access to clean drinking water, and improving sanitation and education are all key to helping reduce child stunting in India, according to an op-ed co-authored by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s S V Subramanian.
According to a November 6, 2017 article in the Hindustan Times by Subramanian, professor of population health and geography at Harvard Chan School, and Soumya Swaminathan, secretary, department of health research and director general, Indian Council of Medical Research, nearly 41 million children in India suffer from stunting—meaning that they are below the normal height range for their age group. Consequences of stunting range from learning disabilities to reduced earning opportunities to increased disease risks in adulthood. According to recent statistics, young children in rural areas of India are only getting about 70% of the calories they need.
The authors recommended reducing stunting by creating an affordable and accessible environment that enhances nutritional security of the households.
Read the Hindustan Times article: Improve nutritional content of school meals to tackle stunting
Learn more
Why do children become stunted? (Harvard Chan School feature)
Top risk factors for child undernutrition in India identified (Harvard Chan School release)