India has most number of 'zero-food' children at 67 lakh: Study

The initial two years are deemed crucial for growth and development, with kids being vulnerable to undernutrition if left unfed.

In a study conducted to assess the number of children aged six-23 months who have not consumed any food over a 24-hour period, India has disturbingly ranked high, according to a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open on February 12.

The study was conducted across 92 low and middle-income countries (LMIC).

The initial two years are deemed crucial for growth and development, with kids being vulnerable to undernutrition if not adequately fed.

Per the study, India has by far the highest number of 'zero-food' children at 6.7 million (67,00,000), accounting for almost half of all 'zero-food children' across 92 countries in the survey, the publication reported, analysing the findings of the study.

The study defined the 'zero-food children' as those between 6-23 months who had not consumed any animal milk, formula, solid, or semisolid food in the last 24 hours.

It further talks about the importance of introducing solid or semisolid foods to a child's diet -- as breastfeeding alone is not sufficient to provide children with nutrition, which, in turn might hinder their growth and development.

With 19.3 per cent of children classified as 'zero-food,' India ranked third globally, following west African countries Guinea (21.8 per cent) and Mali (20.5 per cent).

Nigeria ranked second in terms of highest number of 'zero-food' children (9,62,000), followed by Pakistan (8,49,000).

The researchers collected data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster (MICS) surveys conducted from May 20, 2010, to January 27, 2022. Of the total sample size, 51.4 per cent were boys.

The data for India was sourced from the National Family Health Survey 2019-2021, DownToEarth reported.

The study, however, notes, "Some surveys, most notably in India from 2019 to 2021, may have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which may have caused an increased prevalence of zero-food children."