-
CENTRES
Progammes & Centres
Location
A mother’s health shapes her child’s future, yet gender bias, poor nutrition, and weak policies put millions at risk. Urgent action is the need of the hour.
Image Source: Getty
This essay is part of the series: World Health Day 2025: Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures
It is widely accepted that the first 1,000 days are the most crucial in a child’s life. The good health of the expectant mother is paramount to ensure a healthy child's delivery. However, unfortunately, a large number of girls and women in different parts of the world continue to remain caught in a web of deeply entrenched patriarchal social norms that refuse to recognise this truth. The realisation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, for gender equality, coupled with other SDGs, including good health and well-being (SDG 3), zero hunger (SDG 2), and zero poverty (SDG 1), remains rather distant.
An underage and undernourished woman is more likely to give birth to a low-birth-weight (LBW) child, one who faces a greater risk of disease and mortality, perpetuating the vicious cycle.
Girls in many regions are married off before turning 18, while they are immature both physically and emotionally. This leads to a myriad of problems during childbirth and thereafter. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, one out of four girls in South Asia is married off before the age of eighteen and over a third give birth before they turn eighteen. An underage and undernourished woman is more likely to give birth to a low-birth-weight (LBW) child, one who faces a greater risk of disease and mortality, perpetuating the vicious cycle. Two of the indicators of SDG 3 focus on maternal and child mortality. According to the UN SDG Report for 2024, the current average maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is more than three times the 2030 target, the neonatal mortality rate is 17 per 1,000 live births, and the under-5 mortality is 37 per 1,000 live births. The target is to reduce the MMR to at least 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, neonatal mortality to 12 per 1,000 live births, and under-5 mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births. Progress towards the targets in another five years calls for urgent, focused action.
Early childhood is also a crucial period for brain development. Good nutrition and care during this phase are non-negotiable for the child to grow into a physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy adult. Data shows that complementary feeding is a casualty. The fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) in India reports that only 23 percent of children aged 6—23 months recorded minimum dietary diversity, and only 11 percent had a minimum acceptable diet. Lack of dietary diversity and inadequate nutrient intake affect the child’s cognitive development, impacting their overall growth and development.
The diet of women is equally important. The most recent report on food security and nutrition highlights that greater severity of food insecurity was associated with lower dietary diversity among women aged 15–49 across 28 countries, including seven in Asia. Less than 50 percent of severely food-insecure women could achieve the minimum dietary diversity for women. A malnourished woman with inadequate nutrient intake runs multiple risks during pregnancy and childbirth. A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Uttar Pradesh, India, found both the lack of dietary diversity and inadequate nutrient intake by pregnant women as factors pointing to the increased risk of adverse maternal and birth outcomes, besides other long-term consequences.
A malnourished woman with inadequate nutrient intake runs multiple risks during pregnancy and childbirth.
The prevalence of anaemia poses another persistent challenge in women and children. Around 57 percent of women (15–49 years) reported being anaemic under the NFHS-5 (2019-21), an increase from 53 percent in the fourth round (NFHS-4, 2015-16). Among adolescent girls (15–19), the prevalence in 2019-21 was slightly higher, at 59 percent. More than half (52.2 percent) of pregnant women (15–49 years) were anaemic, and 67 percent of children aged 6-23 months were also found to be anaemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) has flagged that anaemia during pregnancy increases the risk of poor maternal and birth outcomes, including premature birth, LBW, and maternal mortality. These are problems that can be addressed with a proper strategy and focused implementation.
Furthermore, the burden of care work, largely shouldered by women, is another factor impacting their health. Time use surveys reveal that women do the bulk of domestic household work. There is evidence that in the case of women in agriculture, during the heavy harvest seasons, the time available for domestic and care work reduces, with women also experiencing seasonal weight loss. These, in turn, impact the health of unborn babies and young ones in need of care in the household.
The above-mentioned issues highlight the key challenges in building a strong foundation for a healthy tomorrow. Many countries have social safety nets specifically targeted at women and children. In India, for instance, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) started 50 years ago, is a national programme that focuses on pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children below six years of age. Poshan Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, focuses on the first 1,000 days of a child's life from conception to the child's second birthday, as a critical window of opportunity. However, whether the funding and thrust on implementation are commensurate with the targets to be achieved calls for deeper study. For instance, the budget allocation for Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0 in 2025-26 at INR 21,960 crore is a mere 0.7 percent increase from the 2024-25 allocation of INR 21,810 crore. However, the actual utilisation in 2024-25 was 8 percent less than the allocated amount.
Poshan Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, focuses on the first 1,000 days of a child's life from conception to the child's second birthday, as a critical window of opportunity.
Investment in nutrition for growth has to become a priority. A World Bank study cites evidence that iron and iron-folic acid supplementation during pregnancy contributes nearly 50 percent to reducing maternal anaemia. Multiple micronutrient supplements help reduce LBW by 12–15 percent and decrease stillbirths by 9 percent. The study estimates that for every US$ 1 invested in reducing anaemia in women, the potential return is US$ 12.
A strong political will is needed to make the necessary provisions. Alongside investment, there must be a multi-pronged approach that questions and dislodges age-old social norms. Effective use of social media can be a powerful means to bring forth a behavioural change, much like schools and colleges. Local champions are needed for the cause to succeed. It has to be accompanied by increased provisioning and decentralised efforts, including community-level sensitisation of both men and women on nutritious foods, and healthy diets according to the different stages of the lifecycle. Additional emphasis on the extra nourishment needed during pregnancy and childcare would be an added benefit. Only then can there be healthy beginnings and hope for a brighter future.
R V Bhavani is Senior Advisor (Food & Nutrition) with the Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Bhavani worked as an officer at the State Bank of India for a decade before shifting out in 2000 to join M. S. Swaminathan Research ...
Read More +
PREV
