India, April 30 -- When Hemant Deshmukh talks about health and nutrition, the community in Dang and Navsari, Gujarat, listens. This is not just because Deshmukh is educated, unlike many of them, but also because he happens to be a tribal like them. Being from the same community has helped Deshmukh build trust, make learning fun and debunk myths and misconceptions to improve the health and nutrition status of women, children and adolescents in both these predominantly tribal districts. Just how important reaching out to these communities has been can be gauged from the data of the latest National Family Health Survey 2019-2021 (NFHS-5).
According to NFHS-5, almost 77 per cent of adolescent girls in Dang and 72 per cent in Navsari are anaemi...