J&K betters child health indicators

Full Immunisation at 89.4%; Exclusive Breastfeeding Falls to 59.2%

Jammu Tawi, Jun 16: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded notable progress in child healthcare, with improvements in immunisation coverage, postnatal care, and a reduction in childhood illnesses and malnutrition, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) 2023-24.

The survey, however, raises concerns over a decline in exclusive breastfeeding practices and inadequate nutrition among young children.

Data from NFHS-6 show that postnatal care services have improved significantly in the Union Territory. Around 88.2 per cent of mothers received postnatal care from a doctor, nurse, midwife, or other health professional within two days of delivery, up from 84.2 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21).

Similarly, the proportion of newborns receiving postnatal care within two days of birth increased to 88.7 per cent, compared to 81.5 per cent in the previous survey, indicating better access to maternal and newborn healthcare services.

The survey also highlights gains in child immunisation. Full immunisation coverage among children aged 12-23 months rose to 89.4 per cent from 86.2 per cent in NFHS-5. Among children whose vaccination status was confirmed through immunisation cards, coverage reached 93.7 per cent.

Coverage of individual vaccines also improved. Around 97.5 per cent of children aged 12-23 months received the BCG vaccine, up from 95.1 per cent earlier. Coverage of three doses of the polio vaccine increased to 90.3 per cent from 87.6 per cent, while three-dose pentavalent vaccine coverage rose to 93.6 per cent from 92.8 per cent.

The first dose of the measles-containing vaccine reached 95 per cent coverage, while the second dose saw a significant rise to 82.4 per cent from 73.6 per cent in NFHS-5. The Hepatitis-B birth dose was administered to 94.1 per cent of eligible children, compared to 88.1 per cent earlier.

Vitamin A supplementation also improved slightly, with 84 per cent of children aged 9-35 months receiving the supplement in the six months preceding the survey, up from 82.3 per cent in the previous round.

The prevalence of common childhood illnesses declined in J&K, with diarrhoea among children under five dropping to 4.1 per cent from 5.6 per cent and acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms falling to 2.1 per cent from 3.8 per cent. Healthcare-seeking for children with ARI symptoms improved, with 67.2 per cent being taken to a health provider compared to 62.3 per cent earlier.

However, infant feeding indicators showed mixed trends. Early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth declined to 52.8 per cent from 55.6 per cent, while exclusive breastfeeding among infants below six months fell to 59.2 per cent from 62 per cent. Continued breastfeeding among children aged 6-23 months improved slightly to 93.8 per cent.

Complementary feeding saw some progress, with 64.7 per cent of children aged 6-8 months receiving solid or semi-solid foods along with breastmilk, up from 41.8 per cent. The proportion of children aged 6-23 months receiving an adequate diet also increased to 18.9 per cent from 12.8 per cent.

The survey also recorded notable improvements in child nutrition. Stunting among children under five declined to 21.4 per cent from 26.9 per cent, wasting dropped to 10.6 per cent from 19 per cent, and severe wasting fell to 4.1 per cent from 9.7 per cent. The proportion of underweight children decreased to 14.5 per cent from 21 per cent, while the prevalence of overweight children remained largely unchanged at 9.2 per cent.