1Research Scholar, School of Allied Health Sciences, Noida International University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh (Subodh Jaiswal)
1Assistant Professor, School of Sciences, Noida International University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh (Dr Rakesh Srivastava)
Corresponding Author: Subodh Jaiswal, Email: subodh2k2003@gmail.com
Malnutrition remains a major public health concern in Gujarat, especially among children under five years. Similarly, Anaemia among women in the age group of 15-49 years is highly prevalent. Children who are malnourished may underperform in various areas of life and miss out on opportunities to become active and productive members of society. Gujarat is making strides to improve nutritional indicators of the children. In view of this, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and POSHAN Abhiyaan are key initiatives implemented in Gujarat to address malnutrition and promote health of women and children. State has also actively rolled out digital intervention like Poshan Tracker under Poshan Abhiyaan, aiming to improve real time monitoring. This is expected that combined efforts of ICDS and Poshan Abhiyaan will be instrumental for enhanced service delivery coverage, nutrition awareness and interdepartmental convergence. The objective of this study is to assess the nutritional status of children and anemia among pregnant and lactating women in Gujarat, highlighting current trends, persistent challenges, and the role of government schemes in addressing malnutrition. The study is based on secondary data sources, especially gathered from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (CNNS), and various reports from the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) and websites, to examine malnutrition status, Government schemes under flagship programs like ICDS and POSHAN Abhiyaan. The study also highlights implementation of various schemes by WCD Department, Government of Gujarat and provides recommendations to improve nutritional outcomes in the state.
Keywords: Malnutrition, Anaemia, National Family Health Survey, Poshan Abhiyaan, ICDS, Poshan Tracker, Government schemes
How to cite this article: Jaiswal S, Srivastava R. Nutritional status of Women and Children in Gujarat: Current trends, challenges and Government Schemes. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(11s): 632-638. DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.11s.63
Source of support: Nil.
Conflict of interest: None