Health
NUTRITION Stakeholders in Kaduna State on Tuesday began a two-day meeting to validate Social and Behavioural Change Communication Strategy (SBCC) for infant and young Child Feeding (IYCF), 2016-2020, in the state.
The state had in October 2017 commenced the process for the domestication of the National SBCC strategy with a view to improve the nutrition status of infant and young children in the state.
The meeting was organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
NOA Director in the state, Malam Zubairu Galadima, noted that infant and young children in the state are bedevilled by all kinds of diseases because of poor nutrition.
Galadima said that the strategy, if implemented would drive the needed social and behavioural change in communities towards good nutritional practices for the development of infant and young children.
He expressed optimism that with the right attitude, the disturbing malnutrition indices in state would greatly improve.
Also, the state Nutrition Officer, Hajiya Hauwa Usman, said that maternal, infant and young child feeding practices have remained unsatisfactory in the state.
Usman said that the National Nutrition Health Survey 2018 indicates that 5.4 per cent of children under five years were acutely malnourished, while1.0 per cent are severely malnourished.
She added that 42.9 per cent were stunted and 22.2 per cent under weight.
According to her, the IYCF SBCC is designed to change the behaviours of parents, care givers and communities towards good nutritional practices.
Malam Lawal Haruna, UNICEF Focal Person in NOA Kaduna, explained that the objective of the workshop was to validate the final copy of the document for implementation.
Haruna said that the SBCC strategy was designed to change people’s behaviour that result in poor nutritional and health outcomes of infant and young children in the state.
He urged participants to pay attention to what is applicable and realistic in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the document set to increase exclusive breastfeeding practices from the current 19.7 per cent to 65 per cent by 2020.
The document also planned to raise early initiation of breastfeeding within an hour of birth from 28.9 per cent to 80 per cent by 2020.
It also sets to achieve 70 per cent minimal acceptable diet, and minimum dietary diversity of 61.3 per cent for children from six to 23 months of birth. (NAN)
– Apr. 2, 2019 @ 13:05 GMT |
Tags: Stakeholders develop new strategies to tackle low infant feeding in Kaduna
