Anaemia crisis in Indian women: Delaying pregnancy, using toilets can help

Higher proportion of Indian women who were pregnant were anaemic in 2016 (50%) when compared to China (32%), Bangladesh (46%), and Nepal (40%), according to data from the World Bank

Improved sanitation facilities and delayed pregnancy in India could reduce the rates of anaemia in pregnant women faster. The prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women in India (50%) is higher than all South Asian nations except Pakistan.

A one-year increase in age at pregnancy between 2002-04 and 2012-13, and a 10% reduction in open defecation could each result in a 3.5- to 3.8-percentage point reduction in anaemia in pregnant women, found a March 2018 study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

Anaemia–low blood haemoglobin levels–which impacts