Speakers at a workshop on National Family Health Survey 2023-2024 (NFHS-6) raised the need for State-specific modules in future rounds of the surveys. For Tamil Nadu, they said the survey should cover issues such as infertility, ageing, underweight among children and migration.
S. Irudaya Rajan, chairperson, International Institute for Migration and Development, Thiruvananthapuram, said only 10 of the 101 variables in NFHS-6 are really useful for policy making in Tamil Nadu. Citing Total Fertility Rate (TFR) as an example, he questioned the need to talk about TFR, which stands at 1.7 for Tamil Nadu, instead of talking about infertility.
Indicators of concern in Tamil Nadu [NFHS-6]
Antenatal care in first trimester
Early initiation of breastfeeding
