Why are more than half of India’s kids, women anaemic?

According to the latest National Family Health Survey 2019-20, it was found that Indian women and children are overwhelmingly anaemic and anaemia is most prevalent in Himalayan cold deserts.
Let us understand what anaemia is and what facts the recent survey shows.

Anaemia occurs when the number of red blood cells circulating in the body decreases.
A diet which does not contain enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12 is a common cause of anaemia. Some other conditions that may lead to anaemia include pregnancy, heavy periods, blood disorders or cancer, inherited disorders and infectious diseases.
The most common symptom of anaemia is fatigue. Other common symptoms include pale skin, a fast or irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches and light-headedness.

Blood samples were collected from children, men and women and were declared anaemic according to following:

If a child gets a haemoglobin of less than 11 grams per decilitre (g/dl) indicated anaemia.
For non-pregnant and pregnant women, it was less than 12 g/dl and 11g/dl respectively
For men, it was less than 13 g/dl.

In 15 of the 22 states and UTs surveyed, more than half the children are anaemic. Similarly, more than 50 per cent women are anaemic in 14 of these states and UTs.
Anaemia among men was less than 30 per cent in a majority of these states and UTs.
It was higher in the states/UTs of Ladakh, Gujarat, J&K, and West Bengal, and lower in the areas of Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland.

Iron-deficiency and vitamin B12-deficiency anaemia are the two common types of anaemia in India. Among women iron deficiency prevalence is higher than men due to menstrual iron losses and the high iron demands of a growing foetus during pregnancies.
Lack of millets in the diet due to overdependence on rice and wheat, insufficient consumption of green and leafy vegetables, and dominance of packaged and processed foods which are low in nutrition could be the reasons behind the high prevalence of anaemia in India.

The current standards are according to western population, in India, the normal standards could be different.
There is a need to study the local population to determine standards according to the local environment and genetic factors.
There is a need for greater research in this area.

According to the survey, in Ladakh a whopping 92.5 per cent children, 92.8 per cent women and around 76 percent men are anaemic in the given age groups.
High prevalence of anaemia in the cold desert region could be due to short supply of fresh vegetables and fruits during the long winter each year.
However, there could be other factors as well and the causes of anaemia here are yet to be scientifically ascertained.

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