ADVERTISEMENTThe figures are much lower in Bangladesh (5.6 per cent), Pakistan (9.2 per cent), DR Congo (7.4 per cent), Nigeria (8.8 per cent) and Ethiopia (14.8 per cent). Zero-food children are infants or toddlers aged between six months and 24 months who have not received any milk or solid or semisolid food over a 24-hour period. The researchers who conducted the study compared estimates of zero-food children across 92 low-income and middle-income countries. They said that more research was needed to unravel “the underlying causes” of zero-food prevalence, the barriers to optimal adequate child-feeding practices, and the ways socioeconomic factors might influence child-feeding behaviour. Subramanian and his colleagues had last year generated India’s first estimate of the prevalence of zero-food children, based on the 2019-2021 health survey data.

Source: The Telegraph March 05, 2024 06:41 UTC