Even as starvation deaths in Odisha are a hotly-contested issue, malnutrition, especially child and maternal malnutrition, in 2016 was still the number one risk factor in driving most of the deaths and disabilities in the State. Significantly, Odisha has recorded a whopping 69 per cent of deaths prematurely among all age groups being the 6th among the 19 major States.
Odisha has the least rate of DAlY (disability-adjusted life years) among the Empowered Action Group (EAG) States that include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, UP and Rajasthan with a rate of 4,209 per lakh population. DAlY, which is a measure of overall disease burden, means number of years lost due to ill health, disability or early death.
Odisha has topped the EAG States in highest DAlY rate lost per lakh in unsafe sex, sexual abuse and violence, low bone mineral density and impaired kidney diseases. Moreover, the DAlY rate in unsafe sex and sexual abuse has been significantly higher than the national mean, which is a cause of concern. Such a revelation has come to fore in a recently-released report titled ‘India Health of Nation and States-2017’.
Though Odisha has no more the image of 1990, when malnutrition contributed a high of over 35 per cent of the DAlY lost, however even in 2016, the DAlYs lost owing to malnutrition is still the highest as it stood at 12.7 per cent. As per the report, malnutrition affects women more than men in Odisha as when women lose nearly 14 per cent of their life-years or live with disability, men lose nearly 12 per cent of their life-years.
It needs mentioning that deaths or disabilities owing to malnutrition are restricted to female/male child and adult females, not adult males. As per NFHS-4, around 26 per cent women in the State have body-mass index (BMI) below normal compared to around 19 per cent men.
Despite Re 1-a-kilo rice scheme and ICDS schemes, nutritional diseases along with maternal, neonatal and communicable diseases played havoc in Odisha for children under 5 years last year. Under-5 year children lost nearly 1.8 per cent of life-years owing to nutritional disorders.
Odisha saw communicable diseases, maternal, neonatal and nutritional deficiencies accounting for a whopping of around 37 per cent of disease burden in 2016, which is 8th among the 19 major States. Significantly, in this context the latest NFHS-4 data are evident of the lurking malnutrition enormity in the State as around 51 per cent women in 15-49 years are anaemic whereas a high of 45 per cent children under 5 year are anaemic.
Interestingly, when national capital Delhi is in the grip of diabolic pollution, the revealing fact is air pollution in Odisha emerged as the 2nd most contributor to death and disabilities in 2016 afflicting men and women alike as both lose around 8 per cent of their life-years.