BharatNotes Malnutrition
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
Despite buffer stocks overflowing under the public distribution system, persistent malnutrition among India's children exposes a paradox of plenty, where the challenge is not the availability of grain but the equitable delivery of balanced nutrition.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
malnourished (adj), malnutritious (adj), nutrition (n), nutritional (adj), undernourished (adj)
Root
Latin malus = bad (mal- prefix) + nūtrītiōnem = a nourishing; first recorded in English 1850s
Etymology
From mal- (bad, from Latin malus) + nutrition (from Latin nūtrītiōnem, a nourishing); first recorded in English in the 1850s.
Memory Hook
Mal- means "bad" (as in malice, malfunction); so malnutrition is literally "bad nutrition" — nourishment gone wrong.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
A condition arising from a diet that is deficient, excessive or unbalanced, and the word covers both ends, which is why India is described as carrying a double burden of undernutrition alongside rising obesity. The four measures must not be conflated. Stunting is low height for age and reflects chronic deprivation; wasting is low weight for height and reflects acute recent deficit; underweight is low weight for age and mixes the two; and micronutrient deficiency, or hidden hunger, can coexist with adequate calories. NFHS-6 (2023-24) recorded stunting in under-fives at 29.3 per cent, down from 35.5 per cent in NFHS-5 (2019-21), severe wasting at 5.2 per cent, down from 7.7 per cent, and underweight almost unmoved at 31.8 per cent against 32.1 per cent. That divergence is the analytical point, since the long-run indicator improved while the acute one barely did.
Don’t Confuse It With
Stunting is low height for age and signals chronic undernutrition. Wasting is low weight for height and signals acute, recent deficit, so a child can be wasted without being stunted and the reverse. Underweight is low weight for age and conflates both, which is why it moves sluggishly. Hidden hunger is micronutrient deficiency, which can occur even where calorie intake is sufficient. Food security concerns access to sufficient food, whereas nutrition security additionally requires that the diet be balanced and absorbed, which is why full godowns and widespread malnutrition can coexist.
Hindi Meaning
कुपोषण (kuposhan); अल्पपोषण for undernutrition specifically.
Common Questions
- What is the difference between stunting and wasting?
- Stunting is low height for age and reflects chronic long-term undernutrition, while wasting is low weight for height and reflects acute recent nutritional deficit.
- What did NFHS-6 report on child malnutrition?
- Stunting in under-fives fell to 29.3 per cent from 35.5 per cent and severe wasting to 5.2 per cent from 7.7 per cent, while underweight barely moved, at 31.8 per cent against 32.1 per cent in NFHS-5.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2018 — Biology
- Prelims 2017 — Society & Social Issues
- Prelims 2017 — Welfare Schemes
- Mains 2024 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
- Mains 2021 · GS2 · 10 marks — Governance
- Mains 2021 · GS3 · 15 marks — Agriculture
- Mains 2013 · GS3 · 10 marks — Agriculture / Economy
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Malnutrition” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
