Nutrition Paradox: Severe Acute Malnutrition Amidst the Proliferation of Processed Foods in Bilaspur’s Tribal Region in Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

Despite India’s overall economic growth and targeted antimalnutrition efforts, certain districts in Chhattisgarh, exhibit high severe acute malnutrition (SAM) rates, at 17.4% in 2022 per NFHS-5 data. We retrospectively studied four SAM-affected children, finding common factors: maternal malnutrition, poverty, recurrent infections, poor child-rearing knowledge, inadequate birth spacing, and the use and dependence on processed foods. The prevalence of these foods alongside declining traditional feeding practices highlights a “Nutrition Paradox.”

Keywords

• processed foods
• severe acute malnutrition
• tribal health