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| FEEDING SMART: RIGHT FROM START | | NATIONAL NUTRITION WEEK: SEP 1-7 | | Dr. Parveen Kumar | 9/4/2021 11:44:11 PM |
| India, no doubt has achieved the distinction of having a record food grains production but still it has the largest number of malnourished children in the world and one third of all the stunted children globally. The low levels of under nutrition coupled with increasing levels of over nutrition is causing double burden of malnutrition. The triple burden of malnutrition is also now a reality in India. We have achieved food security but much is to be done for ensuring nutritional security of all. This issue of nutritional security is not a country specific but has assumed global proportions. India joins many other countries in grappling with the double burden of malnutrition. Nutritional insecurity takes different forms.
Amongst them, stunting and wasting still haunt the children in the country. Stunting, or low height for age, is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient intake and frequent infections. Wasting, or low weight for height, is a strong predictor of mortality among children under five. It is usually the result of acute significant food shortage and/or disease. Stunting, or low height for age, is caused by long-term insufficient nutrient intake and frequent infections. Stunting generally occurs before age two, and effects are largely irreversible. These include delayed motor development, impaired cognitive function and poor school performance. Nearly one third of children under five in the developing world are stunted. Wasting, or low weight for height, is a strong predictor of mortality among children under five. It is usually the result of acute significant food shortage and/or disease. At the global level, there are 24 developing countries with wasting rates of 10 per cent or more, indicating a serious problem urgently requiring a response. Overweight is an increasingly important issue all over the world: 20 developing countries have rates above 5 per cent. Childhood under nutrition and overweight co-exist in many countries, leading to a double burden of malnutrition. Wasting prevalence is 10 per cent or more in 24 countries, including almost all countries in south Asia and many in Sub-Saharan Africa. A significant proportion (20-30%) of wasting and stunting originates in utero, which highlights the importance of maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy for the prevention of wasting and stunting. This also highlights the importance of considering both forms of malnutrition and how to best address them right from birth.
As far as India is concerned, about 22.5 percent of adults are underweight and 38 percent are still stunted. According to the National Family Health Survey NFHS-4, while under-nutrition persists, more than 20 percent of Indians are overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity rates have doubled over the past decade in all Indian states, registering rapid growth in both rural and urban areas. Women are more likely to be overweight or obese than men, especially those living in urban areas.
HISTORY OF NNW:
In 1975, the members of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, started the National Nutrition Week in March. It was observed to raise public awareness about good nutrition and also to promote the profession of dietitians. The initiative received such a warm response that the week-long celebration went on for a month in 1980. In India, the history of National Nutrition Week dates back to 1982 when the government launched a campaign in 1982 to educate individuals about the importance of nutrition and urged them to maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
THEME OF NNW 2021:
National Nutrition Week is observed from September 1 to September 7 annually in India. The theme of the 2021 National Nutrition Week is ‘feeding smart right from start’. The week is observed to raise awareness about nutritional and adaptive eating habits. It is meant to raise public awareness and to make people understand the importance of nutritional and adaptive eating habits so that they can maintain a healthy lifestyle. Food and nutrition are mandatory for overall physical and mental health and ever since the pandemic has wreaked havoc, awareness about healthy food and nutrition has started to spread in every nook and corner. If you need an active life with growth and development, then a balanced diet is a must. Studies reveal that children who escape stunting are 33% more likely to escape poverty as adults. Reduction in stunting can increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 4-11 per cent.
The government of India has also launched many nutrition specific programmes with a focus on improving the nutritional security of the peoples in the country especially the children, pregnant women and the lactating mothers. The Prime Minister’s Overarching Scheme for Holistic Nutrition or POSHAN Abhiyaan or National Nutrition Mission has been started as a government flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers. The mission POSHAN was launched by the Prime Minister on the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8 March, 2018 from Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan; the Abhiyaan directs the attention of the country towards malnutrition issue and addresses it in a mission-mode. The Abhiyan has a three years budget of rupees 9046.17 crores commencing from 2017-18.
POSHAN has been launched as a multi-ministerial convergence mission with the vision to ensure attainment of malnutrition free India by 2022. The objective of POSHAN Abhiyaan is to reduce stunting in identified Districts of India with the highest malnutrition burden by improving utilization of key Anganwadi Services and improving the quality of Anganwadi services delivery. Its aim is to ensure holistic development and adequate nutrition for pregnant women, mothers and children. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) is implementing POSHAN Abhiyaan in 315 Districts in first year, 235 Districts in second year and remaining districts will be covered in the third year. This is the third year. These are key Nutrition strategies and interventions for this POSHAN Abhiyan. These include IYCF (Infant and Young child feeding), Food and Nutrition, Immunization, Institutional Delivery, WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), De-worming, ORS-Zinc, Food Fortification, Dietary Diversification, Adolescent Nutrition, Maternal Health and Nutrition, ECD (Early childhood development)/ECCE (Early Childhood care and Education), Convergence, ICT-RTM (Information and Communication. Technology enabled Real Time Monitoring) and Capacity Building etc. POSHAN Abhiyaan through robust convergence mechanism and other components would strive to create the synergy. The programme through the targets will strive to reduce the level of stunting, under-nutrition, Anemia and low birth weight babies. POSHAN Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting by 2%, under-nutrition by 2%, anemia (among young children, women and adolescent girls) by 3% and reduce low birth weight by 2% per annum respectively. Through this Abhiyan government also aims to bring down stunting from present 38.4 per cent to 25 per cent by 2022. This is the largest nutritional movement in the post independent era covering 37 states and Union territories, more than 700 districts and with 1.4 million field functionaries. The whole of September month is designated as the POSHAN month to raise awareness about the importance of a nutrient rich diet among the masses. Considering Sustainable Development Goal 2, to end Hunger and Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition, it is imperative to support the production and availability of and accessibility to a nutritious diet for the Indian population. Various Biofortified varieties of different crops have been released which are enriched with different nutrients. It differs from conventional fortification in that biofortification aims to increase nutrient levels in crops during plant growth rather than through manual means during processing of the crops. Revival of coarse cereals and region specific traditional crops which are high in nutritional content is also an effective strategy to tackle the issue of nutritional security in the country. At the same time, it is also necessary to aware peoples regarding what to eat and how much to eat; also to ensure availability, accessibility and affordability i. e to see that food is available at a price affordable to all and finally
The author is a scientist at KVK-Leh; can be reached at
[email protected]
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