Health should be the primary concern at all age groups. In a country like India where many live under the poverty line and can’t even afford two meals in a day, nutrition is a word not in their vocabulary. Following discuss the approach to nutrition

Pregnant mothers
Overcoming maternal and foetal under-and mal-nutrition is an urgent task, since nearly 30 per cent of the children born in India are characterized by low birth weight (LBW), with the consequent risk of impaired brain development. LBW is a proxy indicator of the low status of women in society, particularly of their health and nutrition status during their entire life cycle.

Nursing mothers
Appropriate schemes will be necessary mothers to breast-feed babies for at least six months recommended by the World Organization (WHO). Policies at places, including the provisions appropriate support services should be conducive to achieving this goal.

Infants (0-2years)
Special efforts will have to be n reach this age group through mothers. Eighty per brain development is completed the age of 2. The first four months of child’s life is particularly critical, so child is totally dependent on its mother for its food and survival.

Pre-school Children (2-6years)
The on-going integrated child development service, if implemented properly, will help to cater to the nutritional and health care needs of this age group.

Youth (6 to 20 years)
A nutrition-based noon meal programme in all schools (public and private, and rural and urban) will help to improve the nutritional status of this group. However, a significant percentage of children belonging to this age group are not able to go to school due to economic reasons. Such child workers need special attention.

Adults (20 to 60 years)
Apart from the sale of subsidized grain, the major approach has been food-for-work programmes for this group. In designing nutrition compact for them, persons working in the organized and unorganized sectors will have to be dealt with separately. Also, the intervention programmes will have to be different for men and women, taking into account the multiple burdens on a woman’s daily life.

Old persons
This group will have to be provided with appropriate nutritional support, as part of the ethical obligations of society.

Repeated infections contribute to malnutrition. Priority needs to be given to environmental sanitation, safe drinking water and ready access to health care. Clean drinking water is necessary to ensure the efficient biological absorption and digestion of food. Meeting this basic need must receive overriding priority. In addition, to the extent possible, the consumption of boiled water should be encouraged and facilitated. This one step could help to bring down infant and child mortality rates significantly. Environmental hygiene can be improved through cooperation among local communities. Every village and town should have a policy for the treatment and recycling of solid and liquid wastes. In towns and cities, the treatment and disposal of hospital wastes should receive particular attention. Waste recycling could also become a remunerative enterprise and self-help groups can be trained to take to such environment enhancing enterprises.