According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 3 (2005-06), in Jharkhand, about half (47.2 per cent) of the children under three years are stunted or too short against their age, an indication of undernourishment.
One-third (35.8 per cent) children are wasted, or too thin for their height, which may result from inadequate recent food intake or a recent illness and about 54.6 per cent are underweight, which takes into account both chronic and acute under-nutrition moreover as many as 70 per cent of women of 15-49 years and about 67 per cent of adolescent girls of 15 – 19 years are anemic in the state.
To fight against malnutrition Department of Social Welfare, Women and Child Development in collaboration with health department and technically supported by Unicef launched nutrition week on Sunday. Department of Social Welfare Women and Child Development Principal Secretary Mridula Sinha said, “The Nutrition Week will be observed in all 38,000 anganwadi centers in the state from September 1. This will be supported by the Departments of Health & Family Welfare and Panchayati Raj along with Unicef.”
She further added, “Jeevan Asha programme is an overarching programme that focuses on the curative and preventive aspects of malnutrition. During the week, mothers will be counseled on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, preparing food based on local recipes, hand washing at critical times, iron and vitamin rich food and iodine deficiency. All children below five years will be weighed in the anganwadi kendras. Salt from households will be tested for adequacy of iodine
Jeevan Asha programme is being run in one pilot district- Mandar- and it will be implemented in other districts of the state. Director Social Welfare Puja Singhal said, “Anganwadi sevika, sahika, Auxiliary Nurses Midwives (ANM) and Malnutrition Technical Centers (MNTC) are four pillars of Jeevan Asha. For the progress of this programme Mata Samhu (mother groups) will play important role. The programme will focus on the training and capacity development of front line functionaries.
Not only mothers group but media will also play pivotal role in the advancement of the programme. “Media has an important role in the success of the programme because they will bring awareness in the community,” added Singhal. Unicef Jharkhand chief Job Zachariah, said, “About 45 per cent of the child deaths below five years can be attributed to malnutrition according to the medical journal lancet. Therefore infant mortality rate will reduce if malnutrition rate is brought down.”
“There are 10 globally proven interventions to prevent under-nutrition among children and anemia among women.” These include three breastfeeding practices (initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life & complementary feeding from the 7th month along with breastfeeding) and reducing anemia among women & adolescent girls by providing those IFA tablets.
Other interventions to reduce malnutrition are treatment of diarrhea/ pneumonia/ malaria in infants; ensuring routine immunization; use of toilets; hand washing with soap at critical times and care of pregnant women. Other social determinants having impact on under-nutrition are child marriage and girls’ education, he added
“The ICDS programme alone cannot address under-nutrition. The issue also needs concerted action of the departments of health, and drinking water & sanitation as well as panchayati raj members, civil society organisations and the media. The gram sabha meeting on nutrition will stress on the multi-sectoral approach to address under-nutrition and anemia,” he said. Meanwhile, Health Medical Education and Family Welfare Principal Secretary K Vidyasagar said, “If all the officials present in the programme work effectively in their areas then there is no need of such programme.”
Social Welfare Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi initiated complementary feeding among the children brought from different anganwadi centers and also administered therapeutic food of Mandar block slump children. Poshan Van was also flagged off today which will travel across the state and spread information and awareness for malnutrition.