National Family Health Survey 5 UPSC: History, Objective & Key Findings

National Family Health Survey 5 is a comprehensive survey that provides the most important data concerning health, family, and population metrics in India. It proves to be crucial for forming policy decisions. Thus, it comes as an actual understanding of the well-being of the population. The National Family Health Survey 5 comprises all the states and union territories of India and contains data on both rural as well as urban areas. It is a crucial survey to track the progress of all different health programs and policies.

• It includes family planning, maternal health, and infant mortality rates.
• The spread of nutrition, child vaccination, and diseases are also focused upon.
• Through the survey, one gains insight into gender-based violence and women’s empowerment.
• Healthcare access in the rural areas has improved due to the government’s initiatives.
• Health indicators help assess the effectiveness of all the schemes and programs that are ongoing.

GS Paper	GS Paper III
Topics for UPSC Prelims	Key indicators of NFHS-5, Changes in health indicators from NFHS-4 to NFHS, Health infrastructure and challenges highlighted by NFHS-5,
Topics for UPSC Mains	Impact of NFHS-5 data on India’s economic and social policies, Government initiatives and policies for improving health, nutrition, and education, based on NFHS-5 findings, Role of public health expenditure in improving outcomes from NFHS-5 data

History of the National Family Health Survey

The National Family Health Survey was first undertaken in 1992-1993. The survey aimed to collect the most accurate data regarding health, fertility, and family planning in India. Such a survey is conducted in rounds and is still going on to provide updated data at regular intervals. Gradually, every round of the survey expanded and covered more areas, thus improving the depth and scope of the data collected.

This is also one of the principal sources of data for health and population studies over time. However, the earlier rounds of this survey were focused mainly on fertility, mortality, and family planning, although later rounds of the same included data on issues ranging from domestic violence, and access to health care to nutrition.

Objectives of the National Family Health Survey

The National Family Health Survey 5 has well-defined objectives that guide its data collection process. These objectives are very essential in ensuring that the survey provides an all-round picture of health and well-being in India. The objectives ensure that the National Family Health Survey 5 offers comprehensive data regarding health or well-being in the country, assessing the country’s health infrastructure and needs

Major Objective:

• By issuing vital information regarding fertility rates as well as family planning in India.
• Gaining knowledge on the morbidity conditions of women’s and children’s health, especially rates of maternal and infant mortality.
• Determining the nutritional status of children, adolescents, as well as adults by paying special attention to anemia.
• It examines the prevalence of diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.
• Calculating the effectiveness rates of government health programs.
• To generate information on domestic violence, women’s empowerment, and gendered issues.

National Family Health Survey Rounds

Each round of the National Family Health Survey India has helped increase the awareness of issues about health and therefore has assisted policymakers in formulating more efficient strategies. Since its beginning, there have been five rounds of the National Family Health Survey:

• NFHS-1 (1992-1993): Helped create awareness concerning fertility, family planning, and infant deaths.
• NFHS-2 (1998-1999): It covered the reportage of reproductive health and women’s empowerment.
• NFHS-3 (2005-2006): This round highlighted HIV/AIDS besides giving more in-depth reports on women’s health
• NFHS-4 (2015-2016): It included domestic violence data besides healthcare access
• National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-2021): Latest round reported nutrition, sanitation, and the impact of government programs.

Key Findings from the National Family Health Survey 5

National Family Health Survey 5 is a treasure trove of facts on matters of public health. Some of the findings are as follows:

Reproduction and Family Planning

• The total fertility rate has been steadily declining and now stands below replacement level in many states.
• The use of family planning methods has increased, with a significant increase in modern contraceptive use.
• Family planning methods are now better accessible and have improved awareness in rural areas.

Maternal and Child Health

• This period has registered lower maternal mortality due to the increased number of pregnant women seeking medical facilities.
• The mortality levels of children are reduced, also due to improvement in health status, which is partly a result of immunization.
• Institutional delivery has been high since it upgrades the birthing conditions.

Nutrition and Health

• Children’s nutrition status has improved, but malnutrition continues to be a concern in some areas.
• A high prevalence of anemia exists among women and children, which demands proper nutritional programs.
• Obesity statistics show both in urban and rural settings concerns about the rising levels among adults.

Gender and Domestic Violence

• This is supported by a National Family Health Survey 5 report that indicates statistics on gender-based violence, meaning efforts to address these issues must increase.
• Healthcare service access by women has improved, but challenges remain because of their empowerment and gender equality.

Impact on Policy

Data resulting from National Family Health Survey India has a strong influence on public health policy. The government would want to spend its resources in specific areas so as to show improvement through the data reported from the survey. For instance, maternal healthcare provided some initial data upon which a number of schemes were introduced to make access to hospitals easier for pregnant women, especially in rural areas. Likewise, child nutrition data has given shape to the whole Mid-Day Meal Scheme, as a superordinate aim to combat malnutrition within schools.

Besides, data regarding family planning and fertility rate have largely contributed to determining the population control strategies in India. The experiences that have emerged from the National Family Health Survey 5 are going to continually contribute to informing decisions on funding health care and developing new health initiatives.

Challenges identified by the National Family Health Survey 5

While National Family Health Survey 5 indicates improvement all around, the survey also reflects much that is still hard to get right for India’s health goals: investment in and targeted programs connected with healthcare infrastructure as well as measures specifically aimed at addressing malnutrition, anemia, gender inequality, among others. 

Major Challenges

• Malnutrition rates soar high across rural and certain pockets of cities despite the intervention from the government.
• The problem of anemia still persists especially in women and children.
• Health care is hardly reachable in rural areas; thus the maternal and child health indicators are still very poor.
• Gender violence and the challenges it’s posing towards health status of women are significant issues.
• Obesity rates are increasing, and this indicates a large-scale need for proper lifestyle and health education schemes to be designed.

Conclusion

National Family Health Survey 5 has provided crucial data that shall transform the healthcare policies in India for years to come. With its vast findings regarding fertility, nutrition, and maternal and child health, the survey demarcates areas of progress and scope for improvement. The National Family Health Survey India has remained an essential tool in the processes aimed at making health policies based on information up to date that could bring India much closer to its health and development goals.

National Family Health Survey 5 UPSC Notes

1. NFHS-5 provides comprehensive data on population health, nutrition, and family welfare in India. 2. It highlights a declining fertility rate, reaching a Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.0, below the replacement level. 3. The survey shows improvement in women’s empowerment indicators, including higher levels of literacy and employment. 4. Child nutrition indicators still show challenges, with stunting and wasting remaining prevalent in many regions. 5. NFHS-5 records an increase in institutional deliveries, contributing to better maternal health outcomes. 6. There is significant progress in sanitation, with increased access to improved sanitation facilities. 7. The survey underscores rising obesity rates, especially among urban populations, highlighting emerging health concerns. 8. NFHS-5 tracks the impact of government programs, such as the success of immunization campaigns, in improving public health.

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