New Delhi: India continues to make progress in reducing child undernutrition and improving maternal and child health, but rising obesity and diabetes are emerging as a major new public health challenge, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) 2023-24 released on Friday.The survey found that the proportion of women aged 15-49 who were overweight or obese increased from 24% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 30.7% in NFHS-6, while for men the figure increased from 22.9% to 27.3%. The share of women with high blood sugar levels or taking medication to control diabetes increased from 13.5% to 17.8%, while among men it increased from 15.6% to 20.9%.This trend was visible in many states. Obesity is highest in Andhra Pradesh, where 47.9% of women aged 15-49 are classified as overweight or obese and 21.8% have high blood sugar levels or are taking medication for diabetes. Surprisingly high levels were also reported in Goa, where 45.1% of women and 43.6% of men were overweight or obese, while more than a quarter of women (27.5%) and almost a third of men (32.1%) had elevated blood sugar levels or were taking medication to control diabetes. In Delhi, 42.7% women were overweight or obese and 19% had elevated blood sugar levels.The findings show that India is increasingly facing a double burden of disease. While undernutrition remains a challenge in some parts of the country, obesity, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases associated with changing diets, sedentary lifestyles and aging are increasing rapidly.Also, the survey recorded significant improvements in child nutrition. The proportion of stunted children under five years of age, a key indicator of chronic undernutrition, declined from 35.5% in NFHS-5 to 29.3% in NFHS-6. Severe wasting, which reflects acute malnutrition, fell sharply from 7.7% to 5.2%, while the prevalence of underweight declined marginally from 32.1% to 31.8%.Maternal and child health indicators also improved. The number of mothers receiving at least four prenatal care visits increased from 58.5% to 65.2%, while consumption of iron-folic acid supplements for at least 180 days during pregnancy increased from 26% to 37.8%. Institutional deliveries increased from 88.6% to 90.6%.Childhood vaccination coverage continued to improve. Full vaccination among children aged 12-23 months increased from 76.6% to 82.6%, while coverage of the second dose of measles vaccine increased from 58.6% to 71.8%. Rotavirus vaccine coverage more than doubled from 36.4% to 85.4%.The survey also noted widespread social benefits. The number of women who had ever used the Internet nearly doubled from 33.3% to 64.3%, while the proportion of women with 10 or more years of schooling increased from 41% to 46.4%. Child marriage decreased from 23.3% to 20.1%.Operational in approximately 6.79 lakh households, NFHS-6 is expected to guide future health and social sector policies and programs across the country.