Decoding NFHS-6: India's Persistent Malnutrition Challenge Amidst Health Gains

The release of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 data for 2025-26 presents a dual narrative of India's public health journey. While the country has made measurable strides in expanding the reach of its healthcare services, the data reveals a persistent and complex challenge in improving core nutritional outcomes for its youngest citizens. The survey underscores a critical policy question: why are gains in healthcare access not translating into commensurate improvements in child nutrition?

What are the headline findings of NFHS-6?

NFHS-6 documents significant progress in several key health service delivery indicators. Institutional births have reached a high of 90%, with public health facilities accounting for a majority (58%) of these deliveries. This indicates a successful push towards safer childbirth practices. Furthermore, 91% of all deliveries were attended by skilled medical personnel, and 95% of expectant mothers received at least one antenatal check-up (Source: The Hindu, citing NFHS-6 data). A parallel achievement is in child immunisation, with 87% of children aged 12-23 months now being fully vaccinated. The report attributes this high coverage, of which private facilities account for only 3%, to the robust outreach efforts of India's frontline health workers: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), Anganwadi Workers (AWW), and Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM).

However, the picture for child nutrition is far less encouraging. While stunting (low height-for-age) among children under five has seen a welcome, albeit modest, decline from 35.5% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 29.3%, other indicators show stagnation. The survey reports no significant change in the levels of wasting (low weight-for-height), a marker of acute undernutrition. This divergence between service delivery metrics and nutrition outcomes is the central puzzle presented by the NFHS-6 data (Source: The Hindu).

Why the disconnect between health services and nutrition?

The primary reason for this divergence is that while the health system has improved access to services like immunisation and institutional delivery, it has been less effective in influencing behaviours and conditions that determine nutrition. The data on infant and young child feeding practices is telling. Despite 90% of births occurring in institutions, only about 50% of newborns are breastfed within the crucial first hour of life. This points to a gap in counselling and support within the health facilities themselves (Source: The Hindu).