1. 2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3)
Key Findings

2. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and individual characteristics
Fertility, marriage and family planning
Maternal health
Immunization and child health care
Nutritional status
HIV knowledge, behaviour and prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

3. Overview
NFHS-3 is the third in the NFHS series of surveys, preceded by NFHS-1 in and NFHS-2 in
NFHS surveys are conducted under the stewardship of MoHFW
IIPS is the nodal agency for the National Family Health Surveys
NFHS-3, India,

4. Contd.…
NFHS-3 is funded by USAID, DFID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and UNFPA
Macro International provided technical assistance to NFHS-3
NACO and NARI provided assistance for the HIV component
NFHS-3 fieldwork was carried out by 18 Research Organizations including some Population Research Centres
NFHS-3, India,

5. Scope of NFHS-3 All 29 states are covered
Slum and non-slum areas of eight cities, i.e. Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Meerut, Mumbai, Nagpur
Interviews were conducted with
Women age 15-49
Men age 15-54
NFHS-3, India,

6. Biomarkers Measured in NFHS-3
Height and weight
Haemoglobin content in the blood to measure anaemia
Collection of blood samples for HIV testing
NFHS-3, India,

7. NFHS-3 Sample from 29 states
Number Interviewed
Response Rate
Households
109,041
97.7
Women (age 15-49)
124,385
94.5
Men (age 15-54)
74,369
87.1
NFHS-3, India,

8. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and Individual Characteristics
Fertility, Marriage and Family Planning
Maternal Health
Immunization and Child Health
Nutritional Status of Children and Adults
HIV Knowledge, Behaviour and Prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

9. Selected Household Characteristics
Percent of households
Source:Table 2.11, Table 2.12, Table 2.13, Table 2.14
NFHS-3, India,

10. 73% of urban households and 30% of rural households possess a TV
Media Exposure
73% of urban households and 30% of rural households possess a TV
Source:Education: Women: Table and Men Table 3.2.2; Media Expoure: Women: Table and Table 3.5.2
NFHS-3, India,

11. Education
Source:Education: Women: Table and Men Table 3.2.2; Media Expoure: Women: Table and Table 3.5.2
NFHS-3 shows that even among those in the age group 15-19, only 89% of men and 74% of women are literate
NFHS-3, India,

12. Measuring Health Inequities
NFHS-3 provides information on key population, health, and nutrition indicators for socially and economically vulnerable groups to examine health inequities
Caste/tribe status
Wealth status
Slum/non-slum population in eight cities
NFHS-3, India,

13. Caste/Tribe Status
NFHS-3, India,

14. Wealth Index
Uses information on 33 household assets and housing characteristics, such as ownership of consumer items, type of dwelling, source of water, and availability of electricity
Combines this information into a single wealth index, using a scientific method of assigning weights to individual components
The household population is divided into five equal groups of 20% each (quintiles) at the national level from 1 (lowest, poorest) to 5 (highest, wealthiest)
NFHS-3, India,

15. Wealth Index Variables
The NFHS-3 wealth index is based on the following 33 assets and housing characteristics: household electrification; type of windows; drinking water source; type of toilet facility; type of flooring; material of exterior walls; type of roofing; cooking fuel; house ownership; number of household members per sleeping room; ownership of a bank or post-office account; and ownership of a mattress, a pressure cooker, a chair, a cot/bed, a table, an electric fan, a radio/transistor, a black and white television, a colour television, a sewing machine, a mobile telephone, any other telephone, a computer, a refrigerator, a watch or clock, a bicycle, a motorcycle or scooter, an animal-drawn cart, a car, a water pump, a thresher, and a tractor.
NFHS-3, India,

16. Distribution of Households by Wealth Index and Residence
NFHS-3, India,

17. Distribution of Households by Wealth Index and Caste
NFHS-3, India,

18. Proportion of Households in the Highest Two Wealth Quintiles by State
NFHS-3, India,

19. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and Individual Characteristics
Fertility, Marriage and Family Planning
Maternal Health
Immunization and Child Health
Nutritional Status of Children and Adults
HIV Knowledge, Behaviour and Prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

20. Total Fertility Rate
NFHS-3, India,

21. Percent of women age 20-24 married by age 18
Marital Status
Percent of women age married by age 18
NFHS-3
NFHS-3, India,

22. Current Contraceptive Use by Method
Percent of currently married women age 15-49
Source: Table 5.7
NFHS-3, India,

23. Trends in Contraceptive Use by Method
Percent of currently married women age 15-49
NFHS-3, India,

24. Desire for No More Children among Women with 2 Children
Source: Fact sheet
NFHS-3, India,

25. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and individual characteristics
Fertility, Marriage and Family Planning
Maternal health care
Immunization and child health care
Nutritional status of children and adults
HIV knowledge, behaviour and Prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

26. Trends in Antenatal Care
Source: Table 8.23
NFHS-3, India,
* For last births in the past 3 years

27. (for most recent birth in the last 5 years)
Maternity Care
(for most recent birth in the last 5 years)
NFHS-3, India,

28. NFHS-3, India,

29. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and Individual characteristics
Fertility, Marriage and Family Planning
Maternal Health
Immunization and Child Health
Nutritional Status of Children and Adults
HIV Knowledge, Behaviour and Prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

30. Infant Mortality Rate
NFHS-3, India,

31. Infant Mortality Rates6 11 27 64 79 65 57
India
LDC
MDC
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Nepal
Sri Lanka
China
NFHS-3, India,

32. Child Immunization Trends
Percent of children age months vaccinated
NFHS-3, India,

33. NFHS-3, India,

34. Trends in Treatment of Childhood Diarrhoea with ORS
Percent of children under age 3 with diarrhoea in the past 2 weeks
NFHS-3, India,

35. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and individual characteristics
Fertility and its determinants
Maternal health care
Immunization and child health care
Nutritional status of children and adults
HIV knowledge, behaviour and Prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

36. Trends in Child Nutritional Status
Percent of children age under 3 years
(Low height for age)
(Low weight for height)
(Low weight for age)
NFHS-3, India,

37. NFHS-3, India,

38. Anaemia among Children
Percent of children 6-35 months with anaemia
Source: Table 4.10
NFHS-3, India,

39. Prime Minister’s Letter to Chief Ministers of Every State
“A number of reports and surveys, including the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) …seem to indicate a noticeable decline in the qualitative aspects of the [ICDS] programme. There is strong evidence that the programme has not led to any substantial improvement in the nutritional status of children under six. Our prevalent rate of under-nutrition in this age group remains one of the highest in the world”

40. How Many Children Receive Services from an AWC?
Percent of age-eligible children in areas with an AWC
NFHS-3, India,

41. Body Mass Index (BMI)
The BMI is defined as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared (kg/m2).
A cut-off point of 18.5 is used to define thinness or acute undernutrition and a BMI of 25 or above indicates overweight or obesity. A BMI of refers to mildly thin and <17.0, refers to moderately/severely thin. A BMI of over 30.0 refers to obesity.
The BMI data discussed excludes women who were pregnant at the time of the survey and women who gave birth during the two months preceding the survey.
NFHS-3, India,

42. Nutritional Status of Adults
Percent of women and men age 15-49
NFHS-3, India,

43. Malnutrition of Women by Residence and Education
Percent of women age 15-49
NFHS-3, India,

44. Malnutrition of Men by Residence and Education
Percent of men age 15-49
NFHS-3, India,

45. Prevalence of reported as well as medically treated TB higher among men
Per 100,000 persons
Decline from NFHS-2, from 544 to 445/100,000; 624 men and 460 women
Since NFHS-2, reported TB has declined by 18%, but the level of medically treated TB has not changed
NFHS-3, India,
NFHS-3, 45

46. NFHS-3, India,
NFHS-3,

47. Overall, higher tobacco use among men (nearly 60%) and in rural areas
(Percentage)
NFHS-3, India,
NFHS-3,

48. Nearly one-third of men drink alcohol; higher among men, rural areas (33%)
(Percentage)
Alcohol use by women is rare.
NFHS-3, India,
NFHS-3,

49. have ever initiated violence
Spousal Violence: The most common form of violence against married women
Percent of ever-married women age 15-49
Only 1% of married women
have ever initiated violence
against their husband.
NFHS-3, India,

50. Spousal Violence by State
Percent of ever-married women
NFHS-3, India,

51. What other factors are strongly associated with the likelihood of spousal violence?
Percent of ever-married women
NFHS-3, India,

52. Injuries Due to Spousal Violence
Percent of women who have experienced spousal violence who had:
NFHS-3, India,

53. Contents About NFHS-3 Household and individual characteristics
Fertility, Marriage and Family Planning
Maternal health care
Immunization and child health care
Nutritional status of children and adults
HIV knowledge, behaviour and prevalence
NFHS-3, India,

54. Percent of women and men age 15-49 who have heard of AIDS
AIDS Awareness
Percent of women and men age who have heard of AIDS
Women
Men
NFHS-3, India,

55. Most Adults Support Family Life Education in Schools
63% women and 81% men think that information about HIV/AIDS should be taught in schools to both boys and girls
More than 40% of women and 60% of men are in favour of teaching both boys and girls about sexual behaviour and condom use to avoid sexually transmitted diseases
Adults are less likely to favour teaching about contraception than about HIV/AIDS
NFHS-3, India,

56. Coverage of HIV Testing
Percent of eligible women age and men age whose blood was tested for HIV
Women: 85 percent
Men: 78 percent
Response rates are comparable to HIV test response rates on national household surveys worldwide
NFHS-3, India,

57. HIV Prevalence
HIV prevalence estimates are based on HIV tests of 102,946 blood samples (52,853 from de facto women age and 50,093 from de facto men age 15-54)
NFHS-3, India,

58. HIV Prevalence by Residence and Sex, India
Women (%)
Men (%)
Total (%)
Urban
Rural
0.29
0.18
0.41
0.32
0.35
0.25
India
0.22
0.36
0.28
HIV prevalence rate is 60% higher among males than females and 40% higher in urban areas than rural areas
NFHS-3, India,

59. Summary and Highlights
Substantial improvements have been seen in child survival
Fertility continues to decline
Urban women have already reached the replacement level of fertility, but rural women even now have an average of three children
For the first time more than half of the currently married women are using some contraceptive method
NFHS-3, India,

60. Summary and Highlights (contd.)
There is steady decline in the proportion of women age marrying before the legal minimum age of marriage
There have been improvements in antenatal care, institutional deliveries, and assistance at delivery by a health professional, but the changes over time have been slow
Immunization coverage for children has improved for all vaccines except DPT
NFHS-3, India,

61. Summary and Highlights (contd.)
Full immunization coverage has not changed much in the last 7 years
Undernutrition and anaemia among children remain major challenges
Adults suffer a dual burden of undernutrition and overnutrition
NFHS-3, India,

62. Summary and Highlights (contd.)
HIV prevalence in India is much lower than previously thought, but strong programmes are required to prevent the further spread of the epidemic
NFHS-3, India,