Indian women's nutrition suffered during last year's Covid lockdown: Study

July 29, 2021 13:43

The nationwide lockdown in India last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions in agricultural supply chains that negatively impacted the nutrition of women in the country, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Economia Politica, shows that although food value chains and allied activities were exempted from the lockdown, women's dietary diversity -- the number of food groups consumed -- declined during the period compared to 2019. The researchers at Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI), New Delhi, found that the drop was due to decreased consumption of foods like meats, eggs, vegetables and fruits, which are rich in micronutrients that are crucial to good health and development.

"Women's diets were lacking in diverse foods even before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has further exacerbated the situation," said Soumya Gupta, a research economist at TCI who co-authored the study. "Any policies addressing the impact of the pandemic on nutritional outcomes must do so through a gendered lens that reflects the specific, and often persistent, vulnerabilities faced by women, Gupta added.

The nationwide lockdown was enforced to slow down the spread of COVID-19 on March 24, 2020. The lockdown was lifted on May 30, last year, though some restrictions remained in certain areas of the country. -- PTI

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