Editor's Pick: Evaluating India's health

India has managed to improve several family health indicators such as the proportion of its population opting for contraception and giving birth at a health facility. However, the low levels of nutrition among children below five years and rising obesity among adults are matters of concern. These facts emerged from the full results of the National Family Health Survey 5, covering 2017-19, which have been made public after a delay due to the pandemic. The NFHS-5 survey covered around 6.1 lakh sample households from 707 districts. A major revelation from the results is that India's Total Fertility Rate has gone down to 2, which is below the replacement rate. At a TFR of 2.1 children per women, the number of births balances the number of deaths; below that, the net population reduces. Variations in fertility rates across regions and religions have often been controversial, with it being linked to economic disparities and demographic changes. However, a catholic dip in TFR points to India's population control measures delivering results, and supports the argument that India need not go for rules limiting the number of children. The rise in undernutrition and anemia among young children is a major concern to the nation as it means hampered learning abilities and less chance of emerging from poverty. The rise in obesity among adults is also a concern as it leads to rise in non-communicable diseases, which in turn reduces productivity and puts a higher burden on healthcare systems. These economic and policy implications of the revelations on India's collective health are what make this story important. The Hindu's Editorials POCSO shocker: On Allahabad High Court verdict on child sexual assault Virus rages in Europe: On COVID-19 rebound Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. Click here Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz What is India's third highest gallantry award? 1. Mahavir Chakra 2. Vir Chakra 3. Shaurya Chakra 4. Kirti Chakra To find out the answer and play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 25 NOVEMBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Evaluating India's health [Evaluating India's health] India has managed to improve several family health indicators such as the proportion of its population opting for contraception and giving birth at a health facility. However, the low levels of nutrition among children below five years and rising obesity among adults are matters of concern. These facts emerged from the full results of the National Family Health Survey 5, covering 2017-19, which have been made public after a delay due to the pandemic. [The NFHS-5 survey]( covered around 6.1 lakh sample households from 707 districts. A major revelation from the results is that India's Total Fertility Rate has gone down to 2, which is below the replacement rate. At a TFR of 2.1 children per women, the number of births balances the number of deaths; below that, the net population reduces. Variations in fertility rates across regions and religions have often been controversial, with it being linked to economic disparities and demographic changes. However, a catholic dip in TFR points to India's population control measures delivering results, and supports the argument that India need not go for rules limiting the number of children. The rise in undernutrition and anemia among young children is a major concern to the nation as it means hampered learning abilities and less chance of emerging from poverty. The rise in obesity among adults is also a concern as it leads to rise in non-communicable diseases, which in turn reduces productivity and puts a higher burden on healthcare systems. These economic and policy implications of the revelations on India's collective health are what make this story important. [underlineimg] The Hindu's Editorials [Arrow][POCSO shocker: On Allahabad High Court verdict on child sexual assault]( [Arrow][Virus rages in Europe: On COVID-19 rebound]( [underlineimg] Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor's Pick and more. [Click here]( Try out The Hindu's daily news quiz What is India's third highest gallantry award? 1. Mahavir Chakra 2. Vir Chakra 3. Shaurya Chakra 4. Kirti Chakra To find out the answer and play the full quiz, [click here](. 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