<h5>What do you mean by zero-food children?</h5><p>Zero-food children are infants or toddlers aged between six and 23 months who have not consumed any animal milk or solid or semi-solid foods in 24 hours. Generally, newborn babies are breastfed.</p><p>However, breastfeeding is no longer sufficient to provide children with the required nourishment at six months. Children then require appropriate protein, vitamins, minerals, etc., through additional food intake (like milk, certain vegetables, etc.) along with breastfeeding.</p><p>The little children who do not receive this additional food intake in 24 hours are termed as ‘zero food children.’ In a study undertaken to examine the number of infants aged six-23 months who have not consumed any additional food during a 24-hour period, India has shockingly ranked high. The study was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.</p><h5>What has this study found?</h5><figure class="image"><img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/india-faces-zero-food-children-crisis%2FBaby%20being%20fed.jpg?alt=media&amp;token=88d465c8-aa69-47d7-97f5-e48b71878596"><figcaption>A baby being fed. Photo by The Better India.</figcaption></figure><p>The study was done in 92 low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs). The report says India (19.3%) ranks third in terms of the percentage of zero-food children, behind only Guinea (21.8%) and Mali (20.5%).</p><p>However, in terms of numbers, India leads the way, with 6.7 million (67 lakh) 'zero-food children'. Nigeria had the second largest number of 'zero-food' children, followed by Pakistan.</p><p>The data for India was taken from the National Family Health Survey 2019-2021. Also, the study has noted that the COVID-19 pandemic did impact various surveys. So, the pandemic might have caused an increase in the number of zero-food children in the country.</p><h5>What does this study highlight?</h5><p>The significant number of zero-food children highlights the importance of improving baby and young child feeding patterns and ensuring they receive proper nutrition during their growing phase.</p><p>Research shows that healthy nutrition promotes health, brain development, etc., which can help a child grow and develop. So, their nutritional needs must be taken care of.</p><p>Thankfully, the research also found that most of the zero-food children were breastfed. This shows that the little kids did not have entirely empty stomachs and received some food.</p><h5>Is there any Indian government scheme to help provide nutrition to young children?</h5><p>Yes, there is a scheme named POSHAN Abhiyaan. It was launched in March 2018 with the goal of improving the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 6, young girls, pregnant women, etc. It also aims to reduce stunting and wasting in children aged 0 to 6 and anaemia in women, children, and young girls.</p><p>Still, malnutrition is a longstanding problem in India, particularly among children, and has been highlighted a lot. So, the government must establish and improve systems that can successfully meet the nutritional needs of the country's children.</p>

This was revealed in a study that was published recently.

India Faces 'Zero-Food Children' Crisis

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