Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Measuring progress: On the lessons of National Family Health Survey-5

Measuring progress: On the lessons of National Family Health Survey-5

The lessons of NFHS-5 must be used to improve social development indices

A periodic (आवधिक, सामयिक, नियमित) assessment of health and social development indicators is crucial for any country that is still clawing its way towards achieving ideal (आदर्श, उत्तम, उपयुक्त) standards in the Human Development Index (मानव विकास सूची). While the results of the NFHS are usually mixed, and improvements in certain sectors ride (आगे बढ़ना, रास्ता बनाना, चढ़ना) along with (के साथ, साथ में) stagnation (ठहराव, स्थिरता, अटकाव) and deterioration (गिरावट, कमी) in other sectors, this year, there have been radical (significant, very good, superb, exceptional; drastic, comprehensive, far-reaching, extensive, profound) improvements in maternal and child health, sex ratio (लिंग अनुपात, स्त्री-पुरुष अनुपात) and population control. A greater proportion of births than ever before is now happening in institutions, more children in the 12-23 months age group have received their vaccinations (टीकाकरण), and, most interestingly, India has achieved a total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman would give birth to during her lifetime if she were to pass through her childbearing years (15-49 years) experiencing the present day age-specific fertility rates) of 2.0, dropping further from the figure of 2.2 during NFHS-4, indicating that India has contained the population explosion (जनसंख्या विस्फोट). Policies, some even coercive (बलपूर्वक, अनिवार्य, बलशाली), as in the case of the family planning (परिवार नियोजन) sector, seem to have borne fruit, years after they were implemented. While gender ratio has, for the first time, recorded more women per 1,000 men, gender ratio at birth in the last five years still underlines (रेखांकित करना, जोर देना) the persistence (continuance, continuity, dependability, changelessness) of a deep-rooted (profound, fundamental, basic, well established, irremovable) son preference, one that has to be countered (combat, confront, stand up to, oppose, resist, rebuff, rebut, repel), through policy and law. There are other areas too, specially in the case of childhood nutrition (the process in which necessary food is received/obtained by the living things to grow and be healthy) where marginal gains in say (used to draw attention to a remark), wasting (low weight for height. Wasted children who are thin for their height) and severe wasting, are deemed (consider, regard as, view as) insufficient, and require renewed corrective efforts. The impact of the pandemic (the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area) may also be noted, the disruption (disturbance, interruption, obstruction) it caused to services such as balanced nutrition for children must be acknowledged (accept, recognize, realize), while this set of circumstances (situation, condition, context) underscores (underline, emphasize, highlight) the need for building resilient (adaptable, flexible; strong, sturdy) and fortified (strengthened, reinforced, bolstered) systems capable of delivering in the most trying (stressful, difficult, taxing, demanding, tough, annoying, irritating) circumstances (situation, condition, context). Having measured (मापना, अनुमान लगाना, गणना करना) blood sugar and hypertension (high blood pressure) in the population for the first time, NFHS-5 highlighted the looming (appearing/emerging as a large/threatening one; imminent, impending, forthcoming, fast approaching) threat from lifestyle diseases (diseases that are primarily based on the day to day habits of people).

This massive exercise that covered, this year, over six lakh households (family, house) across the country, aims at providing data that will help shape the policies in a manner that will correct deficiencies (shortage, insufficiency, undersupply/absence), and ensure equitable (impartial, even-handed, unbiased, fair, reasonable) access to services, particularly those with impact on social determinants (factor, issue, concern, point, matter) that improve the quality of life. State-level indices are also released, to provide comparisons, but also to allow States to launch course correction (modifying, improving, rectifying (the plan of action)), or to be inspired by success stories in other regions. Inputs on marriage and fertility (reproductiveness; ability to conceive, ability to have children), family planning, access to education and health services are provided by the NFHS, arguably (possibly, conceivably, maybe, potentially) second only to the exhaustive (comprehensive, all-inclusive, complete) data that the decennial population census (an official survey, particularly of a population) throws up (produce something; bring something to notice). States need to treat it as such, and while they might dispute some assessments, the greater idea is to recognise it as a matrix to work on, to improve the development indicators further. Meanwhile, the Centre too must not treat it as a mere (just, only, minimal) stocktaking (the process of accessing/reviewing one’s situation) exercise, but harness the opportunities the NFHS provides for launching reform or re-assessing certain policies without using it as a political tool (apparatus, device, instrument) in a federal (relating to a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government) set up (system, structure, organization, arrangement, framework).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.measure (verb)

Hindi Meaning - मापना, अनुमान लगाना, गणना करना
English Meaning - estimate, calculate, evaluate, determine.

2.National Family Health Survey (NFHS) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - राष्ट्रीय परिवार स्वास्थ्य सर्वेक्षण
English Meaning - a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted in a representative sample of households throughout India. Three rounds of the survey have been conducted since the first survey in 1992-93. The survey provides state and national information for India on fertility, infant and child mortality, the practice of family planning, maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, anaemia, utilization and quality of health and family planning services.

3.periodic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आवधिक, सामयिक, नियमित
English Meaning - regular, recurrent, repeated, cyclical.

4.ideal (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आदर्श, उत्तम, उपयुक्त
English Meaning - perfect, model, best possible, consummate.

5.Human Development Index (HDI) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मानव विकास सूची
English Meaning - the measure of a country’s health, education, and standard of living and ascertains a nations’ average achievement in three basic scales of human development - education, life expectancy, and per capita income.

6.ride (verb)

Hindi Meaning - आगे बढ़ना, रास्ता बनाना, चढ़ना
English Meaning - move, progress, proceed, make one’s way.

7.along with (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - के साथ, साथ में
English Meaning - together with, accompanying.

8.stagnation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - ठहराव, स्थिरता, अटकाव
English Meaning - lack of activity/development.

9.deterioration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गिरावट, कमी
English Meaning - decline, collapse, failure, degradation, degeneration, breakdown.

10.sex ratio (noun)

Hindi Meaning - लिंग अनुपात, स्त्री-पुरुष अनुपात
English Meaning - gender ratio; the ratio/proportion of males to females in a population.

11.vaccination (noun)

Hindi Meaning - टीकाकरण
English Meaning - treatment with a vaccine to protect against a particular disease; immunization.

12.population explosion (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जनसंख्या विस्फोट
English Meaning - a quick increase in the size of a population.

13.coercive (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बलपूर्वक, अनिवार्य, बलशाली
English Meaning - overbearing, forceful, intimidating, high-handed.

14.family planning (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिवार नियोजन
English Meaning - it allows individuals and couples to anticipate and attain their desired number of children and the spacing and timing of their births. It is achieved through use of contraceptive methods and the treatment of involuntary infertility. A woman’s ability to space and limit her pregnancies has a direct impact on her health and well-being as well as on the outcome of each pregnancy.

15.underline (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना, जोर देना
English Meaning - emphasize, underscore, highlight.

16.National Family Health Survey 2019-20 (NFHS-5) (noun)

English Meaning - the fifth in the NFHS series, NFHS-5 conducted in 2019-20, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each state and union territory. All five NFHS surveys have been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India.

17.indices plural of index (noun)

English Meaning - a data figure reflecting something compared with a standard or base value; pointer, indicator.

18.claw one’s way (verb)

English Meaning - to proceed further with a great effort in spite of very difficult situation.

19.radical (adjective)

English Meaning - significant, very good, superb, exceptional; drastic, comprehensive, far-reaching, extensive, profound.

20.maternal health (noun)

English Meaning - it refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period.

21.total fertility rate (TFR) (noun)

English Meaning - the average number of children a woman would give birth to during her lifetime if she were to pass through her childbearing years (15-49 years) experiencing the present day age-specific fertility rates.

22.drop (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, reduce, lower, lessen.

23.National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) (noun)

English Meaning - the fourth in the NFHS series, NFHS-4 conducted in 2015-16, provides information on population, health, and nutrition for India and each state and union territory. All four NFHS surveys have been conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) , Government of India.

24.bear fruit (phrase)

English Meaning - yield/get results, succeed, be effective.

25.persistence (noun)

English Meaning - continuance, continuity, dependability, changelessness.

26.deep-rooted (adjective)

English Meaning - profound, fundamental, basic, well established, irremovable.

27.counter (verb)

English Meaning - combat, confront, stand up to, oppose, resist, rebuff, rebut, repel.

28.nutrition (noun)

English Meaning - the process in which necessary food is received/obtained by the living things to grow and be healthy.

29.say (exclamation)

English Meaning - used to draw attention to a remark.

30.wasting (or) thinness (noun)

English Meaning - low weight for height. Wasted children who are thin for their height.

31.deem (verb)

English Meaning - consider, regard as, view as.

32.pandemic (noun)

English Meaning - the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.

33.disruption (noun)

English Meaning - disturbance, interruption, obstruction.

34.acknowledge (verb)

English Meaning - accept, recognize, realize.

35.circumstances (noun)

English Meaning - situation, condition, context.

36.underscore (verb)

English Meaning - underline, emphasize, highlight.

37.resilient (adjective)

English Meaning - adaptable, flexible; strong, sturdy.

38.fortified (verb)

English Meaning - strengthened, reinforced, bolstered.

39.trying (adjective)

English Meaning - stressful, difficult, taxing, demanding, tough, annoying, irritating.

40.hypertension (noun)

English Meaning - high blood pressure.

41.highlight (verb)

English Meaning - underline, underscore, emphasize.

42.looming (adjective)

English Meaning - appearing/emerging as a large/threatening one; imminent, impending, forthcoming, fast approaching.

43.lifestyle diseases (plural noun)

English Meaning - diseases that are primarily based on the day to day habits of people.

44.exercise (noun)

English Meaning - activity, task/work, assignment.

45.household (noun)

English Meaning - family, house.

46.deficiency (noun)

English Meaning - shortage, insufficiency, undersupply/absence.

47.equitable (adjective)

English Meaning - impartial, even-handed, unbiased, fair, reasonable.

48.determinant (noun)

English Meaning - factor, issue, concern, point, matter.

49.course correction (noun)

English Meaning - modifying, improving, rectifying (the plan of action).

50.fertility (noun)

English Meaning - reproductiveness; ability to conceive, ability to have children.

51.arguably (adverb)

English Meaning - possibly, conceivably, maybe, potentially.

52.exhaustive (adjective)

English Meaning - comprehensive, all-inclusive, complete.

53.decennial (adjective)

English Meaning - recurring every ten years.

54.census (noun)

English Meaning - an official survey, particularly of a population.

55.throw up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - produce something; bring something to notice.

56.matrix (noun)

English Meaning - network, template, pattern, frame/form.

57.mere (adjective)

English Meaning - just, only, minimal.

58.stocktaking (noun)

English Meaning - the process of accessing/reviewing one’s situation.

59.harness (verb)

English Meaning - utilize, use, make use of, put to use, capitalize on.

60.tool (noun)

English Meaning - apparatus, device, instrument.

61.federal (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a system of government in which establishments such as states or provinces share power with a national government.

62.set-up (noun)

English Meaning - system, structure, organization, arrangement, framework.