Book Description
Given its continent-like diversity, India’s epidemiological, nutritional, and demographic transitions are occurring in a staggered fashion, with high state-level variances. In many parts of the country, high rates of undernutrition co-exist with equally high and increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Further, the incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as a leading cause of mortality is increasing, even as the communicable, maternal, neonatal and nutritional causes (or the “Millennium Development Goals (MDG) conditions”) are coming down. Indeed, India has witnessed inconsistent progress towards the MDGs, and even in states where absolute levels of “MDG conditions” are still high, the NCD proportion is growing rapidly. The imperative is for a realignment of policy responding to fast-changing subnational realities, through greater integration between health and nutrition policy at every level of governance.