ID :
40950
Fri, 01/16/2009 - 11:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/40950
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Low birth weight children higher in rural areas: Report
New Delhi, Jan 15 (PTI) Painting a grim picture for maternal and child health in India, a new international study shows only marginal betterment in vital parameters of mother and child care.
Every year at least six million children in India are
born with low birth weight and only one in four children are
breastfed within an hour of birth.
The number of children with low birth weight of less than
2.5 kg was higher at 23 percent in rural areas than the 19
percent of urban areas, the report which was released here
Thursday said.
While the percentage of low birth weight children had
reduced marginally from 21 percent to 19 percent in urban
India, in the villages, there was no such reduction.
The percentage of children who were breastfed within an
hour of birth had increased from 19 percent to 23 percent,
according to the UNICEF's 'State of the World Children's'
report.
Nearly 80 percent of causes of neonatal deaths like
Diarrhoea, Tetanus and Asphyxias are diseases which can be
controlled through vaccination or good hygiene.
Intervals between two consecutive births in India have
remained low at an average of 31 months adversely affecting
mothers' health and children's chances of survival.
India in fact had the lowest interval between children in
South Asia, with Bangladesh (39), Indonesia (54) and Nepal at
(34).
There has also been a marginal increase in the number of
institutional deliveries with the figure climbing up from 34
per cent in 98 to 41 percent in 2006.
Another significant parameter, namely the age of marriage
of the girl also pointed at the slow change being witnessed.
While in 1998, 50 percent of women were below 18 when
they got married, in 2006, 45 percent of women got married
below the desirable age. Early marriage leads to early
childbearing thereby enhancing maternal health risks.
The number of women who were anaemic has decreased from
56 percent to 52 percent.
The report goes on to say that women in the world's least
developed countries are 300 times more likely to die in child
birth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in
developed countries.
At the same time, a child born in a developing country is
almost 14 times more likely to die during the first month of
life than a child born in a developed one.
In India, more than two-thirds of all maternal deaths
occur in a handful of states viz Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan and Assam.
"We know what needs to be done to save the lives of the
78,000 women who die from pregnancy and childbirth each year
in India. In addition, about one million neonatal deaths occur
here annually," Dr Karen Hulshof, UNICEF India representative
said.
Member of the Planning Commission Syeda Hameed asked all
partners to advocate for improved maternal and neonatal
health, while cine star Raveena Tandon asked families to take
better care of their daughters-in-law to make healthier
babies. PTI SPC
Every year at least six million children in India are
born with low birth weight and only one in four children are
breastfed within an hour of birth.
The number of children with low birth weight of less than
2.5 kg was higher at 23 percent in rural areas than the 19
percent of urban areas, the report which was released here
Thursday said.
While the percentage of low birth weight children had
reduced marginally from 21 percent to 19 percent in urban
India, in the villages, there was no such reduction.
The percentage of children who were breastfed within an
hour of birth had increased from 19 percent to 23 percent,
according to the UNICEF's 'State of the World Children's'
report.
Nearly 80 percent of causes of neonatal deaths like
Diarrhoea, Tetanus and Asphyxias are diseases which can be
controlled through vaccination or good hygiene.
Intervals between two consecutive births in India have
remained low at an average of 31 months adversely affecting
mothers' health and children's chances of survival.
India in fact had the lowest interval between children in
South Asia, with Bangladesh (39), Indonesia (54) and Nepal at
(34).
There has also been a marginal increase in the number of
institutional deliveries with the figure climbing up from 34
per cent in 98 to 41 percent in 2006.
Another significant parameter, namely the age of marriage
of the girl also pointed at the slow change being witnessed.
While in 1998, 50 percent of women were below 18 when
they got married, in 2006, 45 percent of women got married
below the desirable age. Early marriage leads to early
childbearing thereby enhancing maternal health risks.
The number of women who were anaemic has decreased from
56 percent to 52 percent.
The report goes on to say that women in the world's least
developed countries are 300 times more likely to die in child
birth or from pregnancy-related complications than women in
developed countries.
At the same time, a child born in a developing country is
almost 14 times more likely to die during the first month of
life than a child born in a developed one.
In India, more than two-thirds of all maternal deaths
occur in a handful of states viz Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Rajasthan and Assam.
"We know what needs to be done to save the lives of the
78,000 women who die from pregnancy and childbirth each year
in India. In addition, about one million neonatal deaths occur
here annually," Dr Karen Hulshof, UNICEF India representative
said.
Member of the Planning Commission Syeda Hameed asked all
partners to advocate for improved maternal and neonatal
health, while cine star Raveena Tandon asked families to take
better care of their daughters-in-law to make healthier
babies. PTI SPC
