National Family Health Survey 5

On 24^th November, 2021, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released the Factsheets of key indicators on population, reproductive and child health, family welfare, nutrition and others for India and 14 States/UTs (clubbed under Phase-II) of the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

• The States and UTs which were surveyed in the Phase-II are Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Key Results from India and Phase-II States/UTs NFHS-5

More Women than Men for the First Time

• India now has 1,020 women for every 1000 men. According to NFHS-3, conducted in 2005-06, the ratio was equal, 1000: 1000; it went down to 991:1000 in 2015-16 in NFHS-4. This is the first time, in any NFHS or Census, that the sex ratio is skewed in favour of women.

Gender Ratio at Birth - Still a Concern

• The gender ratio at birth for children born in the last five years is still 929, which suggests that son-preference, in its various macabre forms, still persists.

Total Fertility Rates (TFR)

• An average number of children per women has further declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level and all 14States/UT’s ranging from 1.4 in Chandigarh to 2.4 in Uttar Pradesh.
• All Phase-II States have achieved replacement level of fertility (2.1) except Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Overall Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR)

• CPR has increased substantially from 54% to 67% at all-India level and in almost all Phase-II States/UTs with an exception of Punjab.

Unmet Needs of Family Planning

• It has witnessed a significant decline from13 per cent to 9 per cent at all-India level and in most of the Phase-II States/UTs.
• The unmet need for spacing which remained a major issue in India in the past has come down to less than 10 per cent in all the States except Jharkhand (12%), Arunachal Pradesh (13%) and Uttar Pradesh (13%).

Immunization

• Full immunization drive among children aged 12-23 months has recorded substantial improvement from 62 per cent to 76 per cent at all-India level.
• 11 out of 14 States/UTs has more than three-fourth of children aged 12-23 months with fully immunization and it is highest (90%) for Odisha.

Institutional Births

• Increased substantially from 79 per cent to 89 percent at all-India Level. Institutional delivery is 100 per cent in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu and more than 90 per cent in 7 States/UTs out of 12 Phase II States/UTs.

Child Nutrition

• Stunting: Declined from 38 per cent to 36 per cent
• Wasting: Declined from 21 per cent to 19 per cent
• Underweight: Declined from 36 per cent to 32 percent
• Breastfeeding: Improved

Anaemia

• Among children and women it continues to be a cause of concern.
• More than half of the children and women (including pregnant women) are anemic in all the phase-II States/UTs and all-India level compared to NFHS4, in spite of substantial increase in the composition of iron folic acid (IFA) tablets by pregnant women for 180 days or more.

Women Empowerment

• Women operating bank accounts have increased from 53 percent to 79 percent at all-India level. For instance, in the case of Madhya Pradesh the increase was to the tune of 37 percentage point from 37 per cent to 75 per cent. More than 70 per cent of women in every state and UTs in the second phase have operational bank accounts

Thus, the government along with other stakeholders must work tirelessly towards providing accessible, affordable and quality health care and related infrastructure to the entirety of the population, especially the vulnerable groups - those residing in rural areas, the poor, women and children.