• As the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, a nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25th, 2020.

• There was a diversion of resources from maternal and child health programs to services essential for actions to contain the pandemic. 

• A study published in The Communication’s Medicine examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s health and nutrition. 

• It analyzed the data collected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) and compared anthropometric outcomes of under-five children surveyed during pre- and post-COVID.

• The study found the following results:

1. Post-COVID children surveyed in 2020 and 2021 had a 1.2% (0.5-1.9) higher rate of both underweight and wasting compared to matched pre-COVID children.

2. Post-COVID children surveyed in 2020 alone showed 4.6% (3.4-5.9) higher underweight rates, 2.4% higher wasting rates, and 1.6% (0.2-2.9) higher stunting rates compared to matched post-COVID children.

3. The gap was smaller for children from the post-COVID period (2020 and 2021) compared to those immediately after the lockdown was lifted in 2020, indicating a recovery.

4. The subgroup analysis showed that children of rural areas and families belonging to lower wealth quintiles were more likely to be underweight compared to matched pre-Covid children of 2020 and 2021 together.

5. No difference was observed in the anthropometric outcomes between children from higher wealth quintiles and urban children.

• As it was a secondary analysis of NFHS-5 data, the effect of the delta variant of COVID-19 could not be measured. 

• Further studies are required to explore the impact of the pandemic on the anthropometric outcomes of children in diverse and vulnerable groups, such as the urban poor and migrants.

• The study provides evidence that the anthropometric outcomes of individuals were affected during the sensitive life stage of infancy and childhood. 

• This highlights the necessity of developing a more robust food and health resilience system in India.

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