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[[File:Mother and Child - New Delhi - India (12770541934).jpg|thumb|right|A mother and child in New Delhi.]]
'''Child development in India''' is the Indian experience of [[Biology|biological]], [[Psychology|psychological]], and emotional changes that children experience as they grow into adults. [[Child development]] has a major influence on the [[Health in India|health of people in India]], both individually and nationally.

Children constitute a significant part of the national [[disease burden]] of India.<ref name="Thimmadasiah 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Thimmadasiah |first1=N Bangalore |last2=Joshi |first2=TK |title=India: country report on children's environmental health. |journal=Reviews on Environmental Health |date=13 January 2020 |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=27–39 |doi=10.1515/reveh-2019-0073 |pmid=31926103|bibcode=2020RvEH...35...27B |s2cid=210158493 }}</ref> [[Environmental health]] problems such as [[List of pollution-related diseases|pollution-related diseases]] and challenges with [[water supply and sanitation in India]] are difficult to fix and have a large impact on children.<ref name="Thimmadasiah 2020"/> Many children in India do not receive [[vaccine]]s, making them vulnerable to various [[infectious diseases]].

Forty percent of children in India experience [[malnutrition in India|malnutrition]] or [[stunted growth]] due to lack of access to healthy meals.<ref name="Pappachan 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Pappachan |first1=B |last2=Choonara |first2=I |title=Inequalities in child health in India. |journal=BMJ Paediatrics Open |year=2017 |volume=1 |issue=1 |article-number=e000054 |doi=10.1136/bmjpo-2017-000054 |pmid=29637107|pmc=5862182 }}</ref> Programs such as the [[Midday Meal Scheme]] are working to combat childhood hunger in India.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gharge |first1=Shivani |last2=Vlachopoulos |first2=Dimitris |last3=Skinner |first3=Annie M. |last4=Williams |first4=Craig A. |last5=Iniesta |first5=Raquel Revuelta |last6=Unisa |first6=Sayeed |date=January 11, 2024 |title=The effect of the Mid-Day Meal programme on the longitudinal physical growth from childhood to adolescence in India |journal=PLOS Global Public Health |volume=4 |issue=1 |article-number=e0002742 |doi=10.1371/journal.pgph.0002742 |doi-access=free |issn=2767-3375 |pmc=10783765 |pmid=38206897 }}</ref> Research suggests that children of [[Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes|scheduled castes]] showed significantly more rates of malnutrition than those of [[forward caste]]s, resulting in stunted child development at a rate exceeding that of sub-Saharan Africa.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mudur |first1=G.S. |title=India-Africa 'paradox': SC-ST 'hidden divide' clue to stunting puzzle |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/india-africa-paradox-sc-st-hidden-divide-clue-to-stunting-puzzle/cid/2059041 |publisher=The Telegraph (India)}}</ref>

==Markers of childhood development==
Optimal child development starts before [[Conception (biology)|conception]] and is dependent on adequate [[nutrition]] for mother and child; protection from threats; provision of learning opportunities; and caregiver interactions that are stimulating, responsive, and emotionally supportive.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WHO {{!}} Nurturing care for early childhood development: Linking survive and thrive to transform health and human potential |url=https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/child/nurturing-care-framework/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920175818/http://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/child/nurturing-care-framework/en/ |archive-date=20 September 2017 |access-date=11 June 2020 |website=WHO}}</ref> Common markers used by researchers and experts in the statistical examination of childhood development include age, income, and locality. Applied to Indian child development, all three markers indicate major challenges.

In India, there are also children's health issues related to [[gender inequality in India|gender inequality]],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Subramanian |first1=Samyukta |date=15 October 2019 |title=India's policy on early childhood education |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/indias-policy-on-early-childhood-education/ |website=[[Brookings Institution]]}}</ref> [[female infanticide in India|female infanticide]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sahni |first1=M |last2=Verma |first2=N |last3=Narula |first3=D |last4=Varghese |first4=RM |last5=Sreenivas |first5=V |last6=Puliyel |first6=JM |date=21 May 2008 |title=Missing girls in India: infanticide, feticide and made-to-order pregnancies? Insights from hospital-based sex-ratio-at-birth over the last century. |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=3 |issue=5 |bibcode=2008PLoSO...3.2224S |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0002224 |pmc=2377330 |pmid=18493614 |doi-access=free |article-number=e2224}}</ref> and certain aspects of [[child marriage in India|child marriage]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nour |first1=NM |year=2009 |title=Child marriage: a silent health and human rights issue. |journal=Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=51–6 |pmc=2672998 |pmid=19399295}}</ref>

===Age===

==== First 1,000 days ====
The first 1,000 days are considered a critical period in child development in need of planning to give children the best possible start.<ref name="Chellaiyan 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Chellaiyan |first1=VG |last2=Liaquathali |first2=F |last3=Marudupandiyan |first3=J |title=Healthy nutrition for a healthy child: A review on infant feeding in India. |journal=Journal of Family & Community Medicine |year=2020 |volume=27 |issue=1 |pages=1–7 |doi=10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_5_19 |pmid=32030072|pmc=6984033 |doi-access=free }}</ref> The general recommendation for babies is that they should [[breastfeed]] soon after birth to get [[colostrum]],<ref name="Chellaiyan 2020"/> but some factors prevent Indian mothers from giving colostrum to their newborns, including the risk of [[maternal mortality in India|maternal mortality]] and [[Taboo|social taboo]].<ref name="Chellaiyan 2020"/> The first 1,000 days of life are also considered critical because of the adaptability of children's brains during this period and the difficulty of reversing early deficits as children grow older.<ref>{{Cite book |author1=National Research Council (US) Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development |title=From Neurons to Neighborhoods |last2=Shonkoff |first2=J. P. |last3=Phillips |first3=D. A. |date=13 November 2000 |isbn=978-0-309-06988-5 |doi=10.17226/9824 |pmid=25077268}}</ref>{{Clarify|reason=This statement needs to be linked clearly to child development in India.|date=November 2025}}

==== Early childhood ====
[[Early childhood]] is the stage in human development that occurs between [[Infant|infancy]] and approximately six years of age,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starting Strong |date= |title=Early Childhood Development in India – Guide for funders and charities |url=https://www.thinknpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Starting_strong.pdf |website=New Philanthropy Capital}}</ref> although some definitions extend early childhood development (ECD) to age eight to account for changes that occur during a child's transition into primary level education.<ref>{{cite book |last1=World Health Organization |url=https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/child/Improving_Early_Childhood_Development_WHO_Guideline_Summary__.pdf |title=Improving Early Childhood Development: WHO guideline |date=2020 |publisher=World Health Organization |location=Geneva, Switzerland |page=1 |access-date=21 October 2020}}</ref>

Optimal development in early childhood can be disrupted by various adversities in a child's environment and relationships with caregivers. These adversities vary in intensity and include such issues as violence in the home, neglect, abuse, lack of opportunity for play and cognitive stimulation, and parental ill health.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cronholm |first1=Peter F. |last2=Forke |first2=Christine M. |last3=Wade |first3=Roy |last4=Bair-Merritt |first4=Megan H. |last5=Davis |first5=Martha |last6=Harkins-Schwarz |first6=Mary |last7=Pachter |first7=Lee M. |last8=Fein |first8=Joel A. |date=September 2015 |title=Adverse Childhood Experiences |journal=American Journal of Preventive Medicine |volume=49 |issue=3 |pages=354–361 |doi=10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.001 |issn=0749-3797 |pmid=26296440}}</ref><ref name="Walker 145–157">{{Cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Susan P |last2=Wachs |first2=Theodore D |last3=Meeks Gardner |first3=Julie |last4=Lozoff |first4=Betsy |last5=Wasserman |first5=Gail A |last6=Pollitt |first6=Ernesto |last7=Carter |first7=Julie A |date=January 2007 |title=Child development: risk factors for adverse outcomes in developing countries |journal=The Lancet |volume=369 |issue=9556 |pages=145–157 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60076-2 |issn=0140-6736 |pmid=17223478 |s2cid=11120228}}</ref> Although childhood development is considered a key factor in achieving the ambitious goals of global sustainable development,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Daelmans |first1=Bernadette |last2=Darmstadt |first2=Gary L |last3=Lombardi |first3=Joan |last4=Black |first4=Maureen M |last5=Britto |first5=Pia R |last6=Lye |first6=Stephen |last7=Dua |first7=Tarun |last8=Bhutta |first8=Zulfiqar A |last9=Richter |first9=Linda M |date=January 2017 |title=Early childhood development: the foundation of sustainable development |journal=The Lancet |volume=389 |issue=10064 |pages=9–11 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31659-2 |issn=0140-6736 |pmid=27717607 |s2cid=205983467}}</ref> 45% of Indian children under three years old have been reported to experience [[Stunted growth|stunting]], a measure of chronic malnutrition.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vart |first1=Priya |last2=Jaglan |first2=Ajay |last3=Shafique |first3=Kashif |date=5 June 2015 |title=Caste-based social inequalities and childhood anemia in India: results from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2005–2006 |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=15 |issue=1 |page=537 |doi=10.1186/s12889-015-1881-4 |issn=1471-2458 |pmc=4456806 |pmid=26044618 |s2cid=18616090 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In 2008, there were an estimated 158 million children under the age of six in India generally suffering from poor nutrition and health care,<ref>{{Citation |title=Foreword |date=31 December 2008 |work=The State of the World's Children 2008 |page=3 |series=State of the World's Children |publisher=UN |doi=10.18356/c8d42ffb-en |isbn=978-92-1-059754-8}}</ref> with a later study finding that around one in 10 Indian children experienced [[Diarrhea|diarrhoea]]; almost one in six, fever; and half of children younger than three, deprivation of full [[Immunization|immunisation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Vart |first1=Priya |last2=Jaglan |first2=Ajay |last3=Shafique |first3=Kashif |date=5 June 2015 |title=Caste-based social inequalities and childhood anemia in India: results from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2005–2006 |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=15 |issue=1 |page=537 |doi=10.1186/s12889-015-1881-4 |issn=1471-2458 |pmc=4456806 |pmid=26044618 |s2cid=18616090 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The danger of such a health scenario that exposure to multiple adversities poses a cumulative detrimental burden to the well-being of Indian children, especially those in low- and middle-income communities,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Walker |first1=Susan P |last2=Wachs |first2=Theodore D |last3=Grantham-McGregor |first3=Sally |last4=Black |first4=Maureen M |last5=Nelson |first5=Charles A |last6=Huffman |first6=Sandra L |last7=Baker-Henningham |first7=Helen |last8=Chang |first8=Susan M |last9=Hamadani |first9=Jena D |last10=Lozoff |first10=Betsy |last11=Gardner |first11=Julie M Meeks |date=October 2011 |title=Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early child development |journal=The Lancet |volume=378 |issue=9799 |pages=1325–1338 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(11)60555-2 |issn=0140-6736 |pmid=21944375 |s2cid=14964512}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last1=Wachs |first1=Theodore D. |title=The Nature and Impact of Risk and Protective Influences on Children's Development in Low-Income Countries |date=15 January 2013 |work=Handbook of Early Childhood Development Research and Its Impact on Global Policy |pages=85–122 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199922994.003.0005 |isbn=978-0-19-992299-4 |last2=Rahman |first2=Atif}}</ref> and they can develop brain damage.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Africa's Future, Africa's Challenge |date=22 January 2008 |isbn=978-0-8213-6886-2 |editor-last=Garcia |editor-first=Marito H. |doi=10.1596/978-0-8213-6886-2 |editor2-last=Pence |editor2-first=Alan |editor3-last=Evans |editor3-first=Judith}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University |url=https://46y5eh11fhgw3ve3ytpwxt9r-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/From_Best_Practices_to_Breakthrough_Impacts-4.pdf |title=From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts: A Science-Based Approach to Building a More Promising Future for Young Children and Families |date=2016 |publisher=Harvard University |location=Cambridge (MA) |page=15 |access-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117102623/https://46y5eh11fhgw3ve3ytpwxt9r-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/From_Best_Practices_to_Breakthrough_Impacts-4.pdf |archive-date=17 November 2020}}</ref>

A 2017 study reported that 57% of newborns in their first 1,000 days in India transition on time from [[breastfeeding]] to nutritious solid food; 48% get meals frequently enough; 33% have enough food variety for nutrition; and 21% get adequate meals overall.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aguayo |first1=Víctor M. |date=October 2017 |title=Complementary feeding practices for infants and young children in South Asia. A review of evidence for action post-2015 |journal=Maternal & Child Nutrition |volume=13 |issue=Suppl 2 |doi=10.1111/mcn.12439 |pmc=6865921 |pmid=29032627 |article-number=e12439}}</ref>

Of all countries, India has the highest number of deaths of children under age five.<ref name="Shrivastwa 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Shrivastwa |first1=Nijika |last2=Gillespie |first2=Brenda W. |last3=Lepkowski |first3=James M. |last4=Boulton |first4=Matthew L. |date=September 2016 |title=Vaccination Timeliness in Children Under India's Universal Immunization Program |journal=The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal |volume=35 |issue=9 |pages=955–960 |doi=10.1097/INF.0000000000001223 |pmid=27195601 |s2cid=4585001}}</ref> Most of these deaths are from [[vaccine-preventable diseases]].<ref name="Shrivastwa 2016" /> The [[BCG vaccine]] against [[tuberculosis]] and [[leprosy]] 31% of children get on time and 87% get by age 5;<ref name="Shrivastwa 2016" /> the [[DPT vaccine]] against [[diphtheria]], [[pertussis]], and [[tetanus]], 19% get on time and 63% by age 5;<ref name="Shrivastwa 2016" /> and the [[meningococcal vaccine]] against [[meningococcal disease]] 34% get on time and 76% by age 5.<ref name="Shrivastwa 2016" />

====Preadolescence====
[[Preadolescence]] is the period when [[early childhood]] ends and [[puberty]] begins. India's [[Midday Meal Scheme]] has been a major success in nutrition for school-age children, providing a daily hot and healthy meal to 100 million children.<ref name="Ramachandran 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Ramachandran |first1=P |date=June 2019 |title=School Mid-day Meal Programme in India: Past, Present, and Future. |journal=Indian Journal of Pediatrics |volume=86 |issue=6 |pages=542–547 |doi=10.1007/s12098-018-02845-9 |pmid=30637675 |s2cid=58541996}}</ref> Current trends in the programme are adapting the meals based on research to meet more specific nutritional needs.<ref name="Ramachandran 2019" /> Since the 1970s, India has also had [[food fortification]] programmes to prevent [[vitamin A deficiency]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=G |first1=R |last2=Gupta |first2=A |year=2015 |title=Fortification of foods with vitamin D in India: strategies targeted at children. |journal=Journal of the American College of Nutrition |volume=34 |issue=3 |pages=263–72 |doi=10.1080/07315724.2014.924450 |pmid=25790322 |s2cid=52804739}}</ref> with the result that this problem is much less nowadays.<ref name="Greiner 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Greiner |first1=Ted |last2=Mason |first2=John |last3=Benn |first3=Christine Stabell |last4=Sachdev |first4=H. P. S. |date=14 January 2019 |title=Does India Need a Universal High-Dose Vitamin A Supplementation Program? |url=https://findresearcher.sdu.dk/ws/files/157802777/Does_India_need_universal_high_dose_vitamin_A_final_.pdf |journal=The Indian Journal of Pediatrics |volume=86 |issue=6 |pages=538–541 |doi=10.1007/s12098-018-02851-x |pmid=30644040 |s2cid=58654408}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Awasthi |first1=S |last2=Peto |first2=R |last3=Read |first3=S |last4=Clark |first4=S |last5=Pande |first5=V |last6=Bundy |first6=D |last7=DEVTA (Deworming and Enhanced Vitamin A) |first7=team. |date=27 April 2013 |title=Vitamin A supplementation every 6 months with retinol in 1 million pre-school children in north India: DEVTA, a cluster-randomised trial. |journal=Lancet |volume=381 |issue=9876 |pages=1469–77 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62125-4 |pmc=3647148 |pmid=23498849}}</ref>

Although girls need education and preparedness at this time for [[menstrual hygiene management]],<ref name="Sharma 2020">{{cite journal |last1=Sharma |first1=S |last2=Mehra |first2=D |last3=Brusselaers |first3=N |last4=Mehra |first4=S |date=19 January 2020 |title=Menstrual Hygiene Preparedness Among Schools in India: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of System-and Policy-Level Actions. |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |volume=17 |issue=2 |page=647 |doi=10.3390/ijerph17020647 |pmc=7013590 |pmid=31963862 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and those who are prepared have better developmental outcomes,<ref name="Sharma 2020" /> a 2020 study reported that half the girls in India got their first information only after their [[menarche|first menstrual cycle]].<ref name="Sharma 2020" />

===Income===
[[Child poverty|Children in poverty]] are more likely to experience health problems due to their lack of immediate access to health care. Although regular access to [[primary care]] from a doctor improves health outcomes for children,<ref name="Zuhair 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Zuhair |first1=Mohd |last2=Roy |first2=Ram Babu |date=14 December 2017 |title=Socioeconomic Determinants of the Utilization of Antenatal Care and Child Vaccination in India |journal=Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health |volume=29 |issue=8 |pages=649–659 |doi=10.1177/1010539517747071 |pmid=29237280 |s2cid=20590408}}</ref> those in impoverished families in India are less likely to have access to medical care, which among other challenges prevents their receiving important vaccinations.<ref name="Zuhair 2017" /> Medical problems associated with poverty also include issues in [[oral health]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peres |first1=MA |last2=Macpherson |first2=LMD |last3=Weyant |first3=RJ |last4=Daly |first4=B |last5=Venturelli |first5=R |last6=Mathur |first6=MR |last7=Listl |first7=S |last8=Celeste |first8=RK |last9=Guarnizo-Herreño |first9=CC |last10=Kearns |first10=C |last11=Benzian |first11=H |last12=Allison |first12=P |last13=Watt |first13=RG |title=Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. |journal=Lancet |date=20 July 2019 |volume=394 |issue=10194 |pages=249–260 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31146-8 |pmid=31327369|hdl=10072/412320 |s2cid=197604973 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10079507/3/Watt%20Lancet%20paper%201%20revised%20-%20clean%201%20copy.pdf }}</ref>

Poverty presents particular challenges in India for [[street children in India|street children]] ,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nigam |first1=S |year=1994 |title=Street children of India – a glimpse. |journal=Journal of Health Management |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=63–7 |pmid=12289892}}</ref> [[Child labour in India|child workers]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Srivastava |first1=Rajendra N. |date=28 August 2019 |title=Children at Work, Child Labor and Modern Slavery in India: An Overview |journal=Indian Pediatrics |volume=56 |issue=8 |pages=633–638 |doi=10.1007/s13312-019-1584-5 |pmid=31477640 |s2cid=201751620}}</ref> and [[Child trafficking in India|trafficked children]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dhawan |first1=J |last2=Gupta |first2=S |last3=Kumar |first3=B |year=2010 |title=Sexually transmitted diseases in children in India. |journal=Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology |volume=76 |issue=5 |pages=489–93 |doi=10.4103/0378-6323.69056 |pmid=20826987 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Kerala organized [[poverty reduction]] programs and, after that, had better children's health,<ref name="Pappachan 2017" /> with the result that the Kerala model has been examined as an example of what might work elsewhere in India.<ref name="Pappachan 2017" />

=== Locality ===
Children in India are significantly affected by [[environmental health]] problems,<ref name="Thimmadasiah 2020" /> but challenges such as air pollution, [[water pollution]], [[health effects of pesticides]], and [[water supply and sanitation in India|sanitation]] require government-level planning to fix and are challenging to address.<ref name="Thimmadasiah 2020" /> [[Urbanization in India|Urbanisation in India]] has been increasing more quickly than many cities have been able to handle, and within cities there is great financial disparity in access to health care.<ref name="Sharma 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Sharma |first1=J |last2=Osrin |first2=D |last3=Patil |first3=B |last4=Neogi |first4=SB |last5=Chauhan |first5=M |last6=Khanna |first6=R |last7=Kumar |first7=R |last8=Paul |first8=VK |last9=Zodpey |first9=S |date=December 2016 |title=Newborn healthcare in urban India. |journal=Journal of Perinatology |volume=36 |issue=s3 |pages=S24–S31 |doi=10.1038/jp.2016.187 |pmc=5144125 |pmid=27924107}}</ref> Children in slums often lack vaccine protection in particular.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=S |last2=Sahu |first2=D |last3=Agrawal |first3=A |last4=Vashi |first4=MD |date=July 2018 |title=Ensuring childhood vaccination among slums dwellers under the National Immunization Program in India – Challenges and opportunities. |journal=Preventive Medicine |volume=112 |pages=54–60 |doi=10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.04.002 |pmid=29626558 |s2cid=4879865}}</ref>

A 2012 nutrition study in the state of Maharashtra found that household and family access to food had become less of a problem, but having a variety of nutritious food was a common challenge.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chandrasekhar |first1=S. |last2=Aguayo |first2=Víctor M. |last3=Krishna |first3=Vandana |last4=Nair |first4=Rajlakshmi |title=Household food insecurity and children's dietary diversity and nutrition in India. Evidence from the comprehensive nutrition survey in Maharashtra |journal=Maternal & Child Nutrition |date=October 2017 |volume=13 |issue=Suppl 2 |article-number=e12447 |doi=10.1111/mcn.12447|pmid=29032621 |pmc=6866156 }}</ref> A report on the state of Haryana recommended access to cleaner-burning fuel to improve children's health through improved household [[air quality]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pillarisetti |first1=A |last2=Jamison |first2=DT |last3=Smith |first3=KR |last4=Mock |first4=CN |last5=Nugent |first5=R |last6=Kobusingye |first6=O |last7=Smith |first7=KR |title=Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition (Volume 7): Injury Prevention and Environmental Health |chapter=Household Energy Interventions and Health and Finances in Haryana, India: An Extended Cost-Effectiveness Analysis |date=27 October 2017 |pages=223–237 |doi=10.1596/978-1-4648-0522-6_ch12 |pmid=30212113|isbn=978-1-4648-0522-6 }}</ref>

==Programme intervention==
A 2017 study reported that India's government has policy and delivery systems favorable for achieving improvements in child nutrition,<ref name="Avula 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Avula |first1=Rasmi |last2=Oddo |first2=Vanessa M. |last3=Kadiyala |first3=Suneetha |last4=Menon |first4=Purnima |title=Scaling-up interventions to improve infant and young child feeding in India: What will it take? |journal=Maternal & Child Nutrition |date=October 2017 |volume=13 |issue=Suppl 2 |article-number=e12414 |doi=10.1111/mcn.12414|pmid=29032618 |pmc=6866129 |s2cid=20148659 |doi-access=free }}</ref> such as the aforementioned Midday Meal Scheme; but challenges include financing, research, and urban capacity for such programmes.<ref name="Avula 2017" /> The efforts of several privately funded organizations, including the [[Aga Khan Foundation]], have also had a positive impact on early childhood development in India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Early Childhood Development in India {{!}} Aga Khan Development Network|url=https://www.akdn.org/where-we-work/south-asia/india/early-childhood-development-india|access-date=11 June 2020|website=akdn.org}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Environmental health]]
* [[First 1,000 days]]
* [[Malnutrition in India]]
* [[Poverty in India]]
* [[Vaccination in India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Child development]]
[[Category:Childhood in India]]
[[Category:Children's health in India]]

Child development in India - Revision history

HeikeC58098401: put up data