NFHS-6 Highlights Maternal Health Improvements

National Family Health Survey - 6 (NFHS-6) Highlights

1. Institutional Deliveries: Increased from 88.6% (NFHS-5) to 90.6% (NFHS-6).
2. Antenatal Care (ANC) Coverage: Rose from 92.6% to 95.9%. The proportion of mothers receiving at least four ANC visits increased from 58.5% to 65.2%.
3. Skilled Birth Attendance: Increased from 89.4% to 91.3%.
4. Contraceptive Use Rate: Increased from 66.7% to 69.1%. The unmet need for family planning decreased from 9.4% to 8.5%.
5. Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Remained stable at 2, below the replacement level of 2.1.
6. Child Immunization:
   • Full immunization coverage for children aged 12-23 months increased from 83.8% to 87.1%.
   • Second dose of measles vaccine coverage rose from 58.6% to 71.8%.
   • Rotavirus vaccine coverage significantly increased from 36.4% to 85.4%.
7. Child Malnutrition:
   • Stunting (under-five children) decreased from 35.5% to 29.3%.
   • Severe malnutrition decreased from 7.7% to 5.2%.
8. Obesity Rates: Notable increase in obesity among adults aged 15-49; 30.7% of women and 27.3% of men reported being overweight or obese.
9. Diabetes and Hypertension:
   • Diabetes prevalence in adults aged 15+ increased: women from 13.5% to 17.8%, men from 15.6% to 20.9%.
   • Hypertension cases decreased: women from 21.3% to 19.4%, men from 24.0% to 22.1%.

Government's Role

• The data was presented by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, indicating ongoing governmental monitoring and efforts to improve maternal and child health indicators.

Public Health Implications

• The survey results indicate a significant improvement in various health indicators, highlighting the effectiveness of current health policies and government interventions aimed at improving maternal and child health in India.

Reference

• Detailed reports and data can be accessed through the NFHS website: NFHS-6 Fact Sheets.