Nutrition scenario in India--implications for clinical practice

India has the highest prevalence (and largest share) of malnourished children, low birth weight babies and anaemia levels amongst children and women in the world. Other micronutrient deficiencies (vitamin A and iodine) also constitute serious public health problems. Various government schemes set up to combat these problems have not had the expected impact in reducing malnutrtion or micronutrient deficiencies. This is not only due to low utilisation or inadequacy of the schemes but also due to the population not adopting appropriate behaviours to improve their health and nutrition. Providing correct and timely technical advice on nutrition to their patients and their families is often given inadequate emphasis by medical practitioners. But when we know that malnutrition contributes to 55% of child mortality which has been stagnating in most states, medical practitioners, whose advice on health matters is very much heeded by the population, can play an important role in reversing this trend.