Three quarters of the world's poorest people-those living ...
April 2010 African Health Ministers’ Conference and
July 2010 AU Heads of State and Government Summit
FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY DISCUSSION PAPER[1]
DRAFT - 12 April 2010
1. The Rising Hunger and Malnutrition Problem in Africa[2]
The vast and rising numbers of food insecure and undernourished people continue to pose very serious concerns in Africa. Over the past two years, the global food prices increase followed by economic and financial crisis has pushed more people into poverty and hunger. Globally, as many as one billion people are affected, with Africa and Asia contributing to over 80 per cent of the world’s hungry people.
Africa is already home to 216 million people who are undernourished, with 16 countries having 35 percent or more and 3 countries[3] having over 50 percent undernourished population. These affected populations are particularly vulnerable. Because of the food security challenges poor people are already facing, any shortages or increases in food prices will have devastating effects on their livelihoods, nutrition and health. Unfortunately, due to structural reasons, the poorest households are often least prepared to take advantage of the opportunities created in a growing rural economy or, indeed, of increases in producer prices. Thus, their situation is at high risk of further deteriorating due to the food and economic crisis, plus progressive effects of climate change involving severe and recurring droughts/floods, as well as persisting conflicts, political crisis and poor governance.
The first Millennium Development Goal (MDG1) calls for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. Nutrition status of children under five years of age is one of the key indicators used to assess progress towards MDG1. The latest data show that out of the 63 developing countries that are on track to reach MDG1 (Target 1.C)[4], only nine are from the African continent (using prevalence of underweight[5] as the indicator for hunger and malnutrition). In the continent as a whole, it represents insufficient progress to achieve the target. This limited progress is likely to be reversed, unless coherent national strategies are urgently put into place and fully supported to orchestrate well coordinated and decisive priority actions.
Achievement of MDG1 is crucial for national socioeconomic progress and development. Failing to achieve it jeopardizes the realization of all the other MDGs, including goals to reach universal primary education (MDG2), promote gender equality and empower women (MDG3), reduce child mortality (MDG4), and improve maternal health (MDG5).
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Though use of underweight is important and key to tracking progress towards MDG1, a sole focus on this indicator can mask the greater percentage of the under-nutrition problem – stunting. UNICEF latest estimates have revealed that global burden of stunting is even greater than underweight. About 200 million children under five years of age in developing countries are stunted; with Africa and Asia contributing 90 per cent of these children. In comparison, 130 million children under five years of age are underweight. Furthermore, many more African countries have much higher rates of stunting prevalence (a total of 19 countries) compared with underweight prevalence (9 countries). Therefore, the high stunting burden is of great concern, as a significant and persisting portion of under-nutrition.
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Stunting is a consequence of chronic nutritional deprivation starting before birth - if the mother is undernourished before and during pregnancy, and then continues until the child is two years of age. This very early period in life is most vulnerable to nutritional deficiencies which can have significant, adverse and irreversible impact on child growth and development. Stunting which occurs in children during this period in particular is difficult to correct, especially if they live under the prevailing poor environmental, hygiene, and health conditions of many developing countries. Children are on the other hand, more likely to catch up from weight loss (underweight), when their nutrition and health improve later in childhood. These children could then manage to have adequate weight for their age, masking nutritional deprivations which occurred before and during pregnancy or infancy, which may have impaired their growth and development.
The consequences of malnutrition in children are profound, far-reaching and irreversible. Malnutrition contributes to more than 35 per cent of child deaths. It weakens the immune system, making children more susceptible to diseases, and reducing their chances of surviving illnesses, such as diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Those children who survive face a cycle of recurring illness and growth faltering, irreversibly damaging their physical development and mental capacity. As a result, they are less likely to attend school and perform more poorly than their nourished counterparts. By adulthood they face higher risk of diseases than those who were not undernourished as children; their capacity to earn a decent livelihood is diminished and they are less able to care for their children. The vicious cycle of under-nutrition and poverty thus often continues across the generations.
Ultimately, the damage of malnutrition significantly imperils progress of African communities and nations, reducing their economic productivity and growth. The World Bank estimates that malnourished children are at risk of losing more than 10% of their lifetime earning potential; while this is costing poor countries up to 3% of their yearly GDP. As such, malnutrition is leading to a significant loss of both human and economic potential. To this end, improving nutrition status is a priority area needing urgent policy attention for accelerating socioeconomic progress and development in Africa.
Twenty-four countries account for more than 80 per cent (or 195.1 million) of the global burden of chronic under-nutrition. Half of these countries are in Africa, contributing a total of about 42 million stunted children to the global burden.
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Source: Multiple Cluster Indicator Surveys (MICS), Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and other national surveys, 2003-2008.
Children suffering from wasting or acute malnutrition (low weight for height in children under five years of age), suffer increased risk of death. Half of the 10 countries that contribute to 60 per cent of the global wasting burden are from Africa, contributing some 7.91 million wasted children to the global burden. These include: Nigeria (contributing some 3.5 wasted children); Ethiopia (1.7 million); Democratic Republic of the Congo (1.2 million); Sudan (0.95 million) and Egypt (0.68 million). According to the latest evidence, 10 percent of children in Africa are wasted, with a number of African countries having critical levels of wasting rates of 10 percent or more.
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Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are highly prevalent throughout the developing world, including the African continent. Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a significant public health problem across Africa, Asia and some of Latin America countries affecting 33 per cent (190 million) of preschool age children and 15 per cent of women of pregnant women (19 million). Africa and some parts of Asia have the highest prevalence rates, where more than 40 per cent of pre-school children are estimated to be vitamin A deficient. Iron deficiency affects about 25 per cent of the world’s population, most of whom are children and women. It causes anemia, and the highest proportion of pre-school age children with anemia are in Africa (68 per cent). Zinc and folate deficiencies are also common.
The Costs of Malnutrition versus Benefits of Investing in Nutrition
Despite the strong and overwhelming evidence on the grave consequences and high costs of nutritional deficiencies in the short-term on survival, growth and development and in the long-term on national social and economic development, nutrition continues to be grossly neglected. It remains a low priority on the national development agendas of many countries. This is reflected in the very limited progress seen towards MDG1 particularly in African. Yet, benefits of investing in nutrition are well known to be highly significant. Nutrition is the foundation of survival, health, as well as national economic growth and development; and a prerequisite to the achievement of all the MDGs. Thus investing in nutrition does make political, economic and social sense.
A group of Nobel Laureates[6] in economics recently ranked a series of core and proven nutrition interventions among the most cost-effective solutions to global development challenges, including Micronutrient supplementation (Vitamin A and zinc), micronutrient fortification (iron and salt iodization), de-worming, nutrition programs at school and community-based nutrition programs. The per capita cost of these interventions is estimated at less than US$10; with relatively quite high cost: benefit ratio. A global investment of US$ 60 million per year for Vitamin A and zinc supplementation, for instance, would yield in benefits of US$ 1 billion.
It is now clearly evident that a continued lack of attention to maternal and child nutrition will result to significant losses of human potential capacity and economic growth, ultimately leading to further economic stagnation of African national economies and immense suffering of its population. High level leadership and commitment is needed on food security and nutrition, as integral part of a wider national development agenda on poverty elimination, accelerated and sustainable agriculture development that will help to fast track progress towards achievement of MDG1 in Africa. With only five years left remaining to 2015, a massive and concentrated effort is needed as a matter of high priority and urgency.
2. The Causes of Malnutrition and the Significance of Nutrition Security
Household food security is an essential key requirement to achieve optimal nutrition but it is not sufficient. Nutrition security is especially important during early period of life between -6 to 24 months, as this is most vulnerable to nutritional deprivations, with detrimental and profound effects on survival, health and development. Nutrition security implies more than just access to adequate quantities, but of safe and a variety of good quality foods (including micronutrients) and improved dietary intake. It requires optimal household and community practices in child care, and access to key social services to prevent and control acute malnutrition and diseases. These include access to quality health-care services (e.g. Immunization, early detection and management of acute malnutrition, nutritional management illnesses etc), access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation, environmental health, hygienic and safe food preparation practices. Food and nutrition security is achieved when adequate food (quantity, quality, safety, sociocultural acceptability) is available, accessible, and satisfactorily used and utilized by all individuals at all times to live a healthy and active life, and when good quality care exists and health care services are available.
Furthermore, a number of key inter-related underlying and basic political and societal factors also influence nutritional status of individuals, communities and populations - including disparities and gender power relations which will influence household and individual access to resources. Particular attention should be given to poverty, inequity, maternal education and social status, as well as use of gender disaggregated data. Analyzing disparities in equity can lead to a better understanding of the causes of under-nutrition and can help identify and target interventions for the most vulnerable populations within a country or region as part of a multi-sectoral nutrition strategy.
Since nutrition is very multidimensional in nature, it thus requires a comprehensive approach whereby all the key sectors play their part.
The core indicators and threshold of nutrition security in infants and young children, the most vulnerable population group, include wasting prevalence of 10% and above, stunting prevalence of 30% and above, under-five mortality rate of 100/1,000 live births and above, low rates of early breastfeeding initiation, exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months, continued breastfeeding at one year of age, introduction of complementary foods at 6-8 months, and minimum dietary diversity[7], while the underlying factors of malnutrition, such as health status and household food security are explanatory elements.
3. Drawing from Existing Best Practices and Lessons
The situation in Africa is not all doom and gloom – there is some ray of hope that with focused and strategic interventions the situation can be reversed. Even though progress is insufficient in Africa to meet the MDG1 target and there are serious concerns of a worsening situation, it is worth taking note of significant improvements that have been made by several countries. It is also worthwhile to review selected existing country experiences, where dramatic increases on core specific nutrition interventions have been seen (such as exclusive breastfeeding, Vitamin A supplementation, household access to iodized salt and other food fortification initiatives, management of severe acute malnutrition, and social protection). It is important to distill the best practices and lessons, for possible use as inputs into future refinement of the existing strategies, and further improvements, deepening and expansion of ongoing food security and nutrition programs.
Eleven African countries have reduced underweight prevalence by more than one third since 1990. With 5 out of these countries - Algeria, Congo, Ghana, Mauritania and Sao Tome and Principe, reducing dramatically their underweight prevalence by more than one-third. These country experiences show that it is entirely feasible to scale-up nutrition programmes to achieve marked improvements, especially when there is strong government leadership and a broad-based supporting partnerships.
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Source: UNICEF global database
Note: Prevalence based on NCHS reference population
However, even more progress is needed in Africa as a whole, where decline in underweight prevalence has been limited, with 28 percent of children under-five years of age being underweight around 1990, compared with 25 percent around 2008. Africa has shown the least decline in underweight, as compared to other regions in the developing world, such as Asia.
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As mentioned before, even in countries where underweight prevalence is low, stunting rates can be alarmingly high. For instance, in Egypt and Swaziland underweight prevalence is at 6 and 5 percent, respectively, whereas stunting rate is 4-5 times higher (it is at 29 percent in both countries). In the continent as a whole, a greater proportion of children are affected by stunting than underweight; 40 percent of children under-five years of age are stunted compared to 25 percent underweight.
Also in comparison to underweight, where improvements have been seen in some 11 countries, only two countries (Eritrea and Mauritania) have seen significant stunting reduction. In Eritrea, this declined from 66 percent to 38 percent and in Mauritania from 57 percent to 27 percent from around 1990 to around 2008, respectively. It means that the core evidence-based interventions to reduce stunting need further strengthening and/or expansion, in particular improved maternal nutrition before and during pregnancy and optimal complementary feeding up to two years of age.
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is key to reducing illness, especially diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections - two leading causes of infant death. Latest Lancet estimates have shown that exclusive breastfeeding can reduce child deaths by 12 percent[8]. Furthermore, studies have shown that breastfeeding is crucial for neurological, cognitive and behavioural development; while it has additional health benefits for women (e.g. reduced breast cancer rates). In nineteen African countries, exclusive breastfeeding has increased by at least 20 percent over the last decade; with five of these countries – Rwanda, Madagascar, Zambia, Malawi and Ghana, achieving more than 50 percent exclusive breastfeeding rate. Recent country studies, in five countries in Africa (Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, and Mali), in addition to others in Latin America[9], have demonstrated the feasibility of improving
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breastfeeding practices through implementation at scale of a comprehensive approach, including scale-up of a carefully developed and evidence-based ‘behaviour change’ communication programme with focused and actionable messages, and support and protection of breastfeeding. These country studies, also showed the importance of community-based activities and the role of communities as partners and not recipients of services. Most recently, Kenya has demonstrated substantial increase in exclusive breastfeeding rate based on preliminary data from 2008. The programme in Kenya is based on a comprehensive, multi-level approach improving exclusive breastfeeding rates that have proven successful in the above cited countries from Africa and elsewhere[10]. However, accelerated progress is needed; the majority of countries in Africa still have exclusive breastfeeding rates below 50 per cent. While as many as 70 per cent of infants in Africa face greater risk of morbidity and mortality due to non-exclusive breastfeeding.
It is now well established since over a decade that vitamin A supplementation (VAS) of children under five at risk of vitamin A deficiency can reduce mortality from all causes by 23 percent.[11] Recent studies from Nepal[12],[13] and Indonesia[14] have since confirmed the beneficial effects of VAS on mortality and malnutrition reduction in children. This has been further supported by a recent Lancet series on child survival, which identified VAS as one of the key proven interventions to reduce child mortality.[15] Achieving universal coverage of twice-yearly VAS is thus a key step towards meeting the MDG4 goal for child survival. In Africa
full protection with two doses of VAS doubled between 2001 and 2008 – from 39 percent to 74 percent by 2008. Child Health Days (CHDs), a twice-yearly cycle of preventive services defined by local circumstances
19 African countries where exclusive breastfeeding has increased at least 20 per cent
Percentage of infants 0-5 months old exclusively breastfed
Source: UNICEF Global Database
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and epidemiological needs, have played a prominent role to dramatically increase VAS coverage to children. In addition to VAS, CHDs have invariably included an integrated package of high impact interventions such as de-worming, immunization, malaria prevention, nutrition education, promotion of key family care practices and antenatal care. They build on primary health care infrastructure and staffs, using a locally appropriate combination of fixed sites, outreach primary health care staff and other approaches[16]. A multi-country evaluation[17] in six Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) countries – Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – showed that CHDs achieved coverage above 80 percent of twice-yearly vitamin A supplementation, with coverage increases from 15 to 90 percentage points. To date, practically all countries in ESAR have adopted CHDs to deliver VAS twice yearly to children, along with other high impact interventions. Most countries in West and Central Africa have elaborated national guidelines for VAS programs; this has helped to mainstream VAS activities into health and community-based systems.[18] Based on existing evidence on efficacy, child mortality rates are expected to fall in the countries that have increased vitamin A supplementation.
Continued progress is needed to use innovative approaches to reach the remaining hard-to-reach children (over 30 million), that remain unprotected from increased risks of morbidity and mortality due to Vitamin A deficiency. Plus, progress is needed to sustain this approach by institutionalizing CHDs and their full integration into routine health services, building on the ongoing country experiences across the continent towards this end.
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Iodine deficiency is the single most preventable cause of brain damage in children, and it is now well known that Universal Salt Iodization (USI) is the most cost-effective strategy for eliminating it. In Africa household consumption of iodized salt increased from 42 per cent in 1995 to 60 per cent by 2008. Six African countries have made significant improvements in the household use of iodized salt[19]. While seven have achieved the Universal Salt Iodization Goal (USI) of 90% household use of iodized salt: Burundi, Kenya, Lesotho, Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Documentation of country experiences[20],[21],[22],[23] shows that the essential requirements of successful salt iodization programs are: (1) high-level government commitment, reflected in policy, legislation, standards and funding; (2) continuous consumer education on the dangers of iodine deficiency and the benefits of iodized salt, leading to demand for it; (3) regular monitoring and enforcement; (4) ‘buy-in’ by salt producers, wholesalers and retailers; and (5) a national coalition to monitor implementation and enforcement of laws. However, concerted efforts are still needed to reach annually 13 million African newborns that remain unprotected from the scourges of iodine deficiency.
Six African countries with significant increases in iodized salt consumption
Source: UNICEF Global Database
The large scale of micronutrient malnutrition (including iron, folic acid, zinc and vitamin A) throughout Africa and their consequences for economic development call for immediate and large-scale action. The most cost-effective strategies to address micronutrient malnutrition are fortifying major food vehicles (staple food) like wheat or maize flour with iron, folic acid, zinc and other micronutrients, plus sugar and oil with vitamins A and D. A number of African countries are making progress on food fortification, with some demonstrating significant impact on improved nutrition and survival. South Africa launched its national food fortification program in 2003, in partnership with international organizations including Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Micronutrient Initiative (MI) and UNICEF. It required any manufacturer of bread and wheat flour or maize meal to fortify these staples with eight micronutrients including vitamin A, folic acid, iron and zinc. A 2007 study found a significant decline in birth defects resulting from the fortification program, with reduction in spina bifida and anecephaly by 41.6 per cent and 10.9 per cent, respectively. A separate study found a 66 per cent reduction in perinatal deaths related to neural tube defects (NTDs), and 39 per cent reduction in NTD-related infant mortality.[24] In Morocco, a total of 79 mills are fortifying flour with iron and folic acid. These mills produce 60 percent of the industrial flour consumed nationwide. While, cooking oil is being fortified with vitamins A and D. Eighty per cent of the oil consumed in the country is fortified.[25] “Fortifying Cooking Oil with Vitamin A across West Africa” is a new partnership of the eight Francophone countries of West Africa and are members of the Monetary and Economic Union of West Africa (UEMOA): Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. This partnership has led to regional standards making compulsory the fortification of cooking oil with vitamin A in all the eight countries.[26]
In line with NEPAD’s Ten Year Strategy, concentrated efforts are needed to launch and support scale-up elimination of Vitamins and Mineral Deficiencies (VMDs), which has as one of its central focus expansion and support of food fortification initiatives. The Ten Year Strategy emphasizes multiple approaches including dietary diversity; hence strong collaboration with the agriculture sector is imperative.
Recent WHO estimates have shown that mortality among children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is 5 to 20 times higher compared to well-nourished children.[27] There has been encouraging progress made to treat children with SAM in several African countries through community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM), a comprehensive system for identifying, referring and treating children with acute malnutrition. CMAM involves: (1) community-based screening; (2) referral to appropriate care, based on degree of wasting and presence of complications; (3) specific treatment protocols, food supplements and medicines; and (4) monitoring and evaluation and supply management. Ethiopia is implementing the largest program ever – targeting 100,000 new admissions into CMAM per month; Malawi is close to reaching countrywide coverage with CMAM, aiming to reach 14,000 new admissions per month; Niger has scaled up integrated management of acute malnutrition, with over 200,000 children treated in 2008. The link between acute malnutrition and mortality is well established, so effective treatment or prevention of acute malnutrition is widely expected to have a significant impact on the mortality of young children in these countries. Particularly in countries with high HIV burden, a large proportion of children (as high as 40 to 60 percent) with severe acute malnutrition are also found to be HIV positive, hence the importance of testing children for HIV in nutrition rehabilitation units with referral for treatment as well as screening children for malnutrition in pediatric treatments with referral for appropriate nutrition management and treatment.[28] An estimated 16.4 million children suffer from moderate and severe acute malnutrition in Africa, as such accelerated progress is needed further strengthen and deepen the ongoing CMAM programs across the countries and to scale-up.
Governments in several countries of Africa already provide targeted cash transfers, small predictable sums of money to ultra poor families with children which are a relatively new and successful strategy in the region to alleviate household poverty. Such grants empower recipients by providing them with greater freedom of choice in consumption decisions. A number of cash transfer programmes in the region have been shown to have a large and positive impact on nutritional status, food consumption, dietary diversity, reduced incidence of illness and demand for health services. In other countries, efforts are under way to develop national social protection strategies which include social cash transfers.
Such grants give recipients greater freedom of choice in consumption decisions and help reach the most vulnerable – rural and urban poor and those affected by HIV. A number of cash transfer programmes in Africa (Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zambia) have demonstrated a large and positive impact on nutritional status, food consumption, dietary diversity, reduced incidence of illness and demand for health services.[29] Ghana’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program and Nigeria’s In Care of the Poor (COPE) are setting the tone for social protection systems in West Africa.[30]
Overall Food and Nutrition Security Programme Success Factors[31]
← High-level political commitment and partnership: Nutrition and food security is multi-sectoral in nature and often falls within the mandate of several Ministries - including Health, Agriculture, Education, Industry, and Social Welfare, so programmes need clear roles and responsibilities and effective coordination. High-level government leadership, commitment and ownership is key to success, requiring clarity and well-coordinated support from all the concerned sectors and international community. The Renewed Efforts Against Childhood Hunger and Under-nutrition (REACH) initiative provides a good example of inter-sectoral and inter-agency collaboration and partnership to improve nutrition. REACH aims to accelerate progress towards MDG-1 targets and although established by FAO, WHO, UNICEF and WFP in 2008, the centre of the strategy is to support Governments in the achievements of nutrition outcomes through a solid coordination of efforts at country, regionally and globally, through multi-donor funding in support of country-led plans.
← Linkages with all the key sectors: The integrated core package of nutrition interventions described in this paper need to be implemented in conjunction with relevant sectors as health, Industry, Finance and Agriculture, to ensure a holistic approach to improved household food security.
• Situation analysis: This should be the starting point of a comprehensive nutrition programme design, multi-sectoral in approach, with the appropriate links to all the key sectors so as to address the various immediate, underlying and basic causes of malnutrition including household food security, poverty, and inequity issues, for its effective and sustainable elimination. This analysis should form as basis for appropriate national policies, adequate legislative frameworks and strategies that ensure the best use of local resources. While, global, continental or regional policy guidance and technical documentation already established can facilitate countries’ policy design and choice of implementation strategy, standards to enhance regional harmonization and integration.
← Capacity-building: Capacity building is critical for of nutrition programmes. The reach and coverage of the health system needs to be reviewed, opportunities identified, and knowledge and skills updated on the core integrated nutrition interventions to improve nutrition so that health and other extension workers at all the key levels – facility, community can deliver these services effectively.
← Communication and community: Effective large-scale communication campaigns and community involvement are key conditions for programmes that seek to improve child care and promote behavioural change. Regular support and counselling of caregivers at the community level in a comprehensive manner, with messaging on feeding, care and hygiene, and disease prevention and treatment can lead to positive outcome. Communities should not be seen as passive recipients of services but as active agents for identifying and addressing gaps, assuming responsibilities and ensuring adequate nutrition is provided for all. Many countries successfully rely on community-based health workers or volunteers who operate closely with official health and other social service providers.
← Corporate and social responsibility: The involvement of the private sector can ensure availability of appropriate and affordable products, such as micronutrient fortified foods (e.g. iodized salt, fortified wheat or maize flour, cooking oil or sugar), high quality foods for complementary feeding and supplementary foods, and micronutrient supplements. This is an important strategy that can improve access to quality foods and supplements, to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition and promote good nutrition and health. The private sector, with its wide access to populations, also can play an important role in encouraging behaviour change to promote good nutrition and healthy lifestyle; thereby enhance corporate social responsibility and help improve maternal and child nutrition. It is critical that companies comply with the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and all relevant food safety standards.
← Resources: Nutrition programmes are severely under-resourced – despite evidence of their effectiveness, as demonstrated by the Copenhagen Consensus results. The costs of programmes would vary widely between countries depending on varying local conditions, but available estimated cost figures from other countries and internationally can help provide an indication on the level of resources required. The REACH initiative is estimated to require US$36 per child per year to implement an integrated programme with cost-effective interventions. The programme “A Good Start in Life” in Peru documented a significant reduction in stunting at an annual cost of about US$117 per child.
4. The Proposed Actions:
Three strategic areas are proposed, where accelerated implementation of key priority actions are urgently needed, to address the high levels of stunting in Africa, while building on successes seen as well as drawing from lessons learned across Africa to reduce prevalence of underweight, micronutrients deficiencies, and to manage severe acute malnutrition. These include:
(1) Prioritize sustainable access to evidence-based essential integrated maternal and child nutrition interventions[32] to reduce stunting, and enhance maternal and child survival - through a multi-sectoral approach.
Health;
The health sector plays an extremely important role in enhancing food and nutrition security both through helping to prevent and treat debilitating illnesses as well as nutritional deficiencies among populations and because of the critical role that health staff plays in promoting good nutritional, health and hygiene practices. Regarding the nutritional aspects of health services, it is usually the health workers who provides the most influential advice to the families on infant and child feeding, nutrition during pregnancy and disease and in other situations and it is also through the health workers that families/individual can be provided with supplementation of micronutrients when needed, as well as promote consumption of diversified and fortified foods. If properly trained and supported, health workers – at both facility and community levels - are best placed to identify early signs and treatment of malnutrition.
Water and sanitation;
Water is an essential element for virtually all aspects of human life needed both for direct consumption, for cooking and cleaning and hygiene. Access to safe water and sanitation, as well environmental health and hygiene is a crucial measure of preventing infectious illnesses - such as diarrhea, which is closely related to under-nutrition and is one of the main child killers. Furthermore, it is a key element in agriculture production, hence food security and nutrition. Poor rainfall reliability is often seen as the main constraints to increased food production in many parts of Africa. In agriculture and rural development it is, therefore, essential to establish close collaboration with water resource management departments to address the specific constraints and opportunities in the locations under consideration.
Industry and trade;
Since most people buy rather than produce the food they eat, income and income-generating activities are essential for food security and this relates to the first area above. Industry can also provide critical support for nutritional programmes through fortification and marketing of key staple foods with micronutrients like vitamin A, iodine, iron, folic acid, zinc or through producing and marketing of fortified complimentary foods, and multiple micronutrient powders, as well as producing special therapeutic foods such as Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) for children with severe acute malnutrition.
Agriculture;
The agriculture sector is very central in ensuring national and household food security. The newly transformed NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency offers a unique opportunity to reaffirm continental and international commitments, mobilize resources and rededicate Africa to improving nutrition, reducing the burden of hunger and disease and protecting precious human capital. NEPAD’s Pan African Nutrition Initiative nested within the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) offers a promising approach for capitalizing on the natural synergy of increased food production and improved nutrition. African leaders have all commitment themselves to CAADP and already many countries have adopted CAADP as the framework for agriculture’s renewal and engine for economic growth and are implementing it. CAADP is meant to catalyze a multi-sectoral process of investment planning, facilitating capacity building and mobilizing resources to address the burden of malnutrition.
Education;
Education is often regarded as the most important development activity in any country. In most places, the education sector also has the most extensive coverage and presence in local communities in rural areas through the schools and the teachers. Basic knowledge on food, health and nutrition is normally taught as part of the curriculum in all schools but it is generally more uncommon to see a close linkage between the schools and other efforts to accelerate agriculture and rural development and food and nutrition security. In the instances where this has been done, however, very good overall achievements have been recorded through, e.g. school feeding programmes, school gardens to promote vegetables, fruits and trees, enrolling teachers in ‘functional literacy’, using school children to convey ‘messages’ through songs, drama and poems, etc. If agriculture and rural economies are to be improved in Africa it seems imperative that the schools have to be part of the transformation in a very systematic way. In this regard, the NEPAD Home Grown School Feeding (HGSF) flagship programme provides the best opportunity for an integrated approach to feed school children with healthy meals while stimulating production and improving market access for small holder farmers. A number of countries including Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, have launched the HGSF.
Actions:
1. Review, update and adopt comprehensive national nutrition policies to establish plans to meet national targets with priority attention on stunting reduction.
2. Ensure the economic and social benefits of nutrition security are reflected and supported in other sectors including agriculture, water resources, industry and education.
3. Contribute support to strengthen nutrition capacity at all the key levels: advocate for and support increased public sector budget for nutrition, aiming for at least 2% in each of the key sectors – agriculture, health, water resources, industry and education, and build human resource capacity in nutrition across the key government sectors – agriculture, health, education, social welfare – and ensure that one responsible person/champion/institution is assigned as responsible for the nation’s nutrition.
4. Provide focused assistance on a preventive approach covering the window of opportunity including all under twos and pregnant and lactating women through a solid Mother and Child Health Nutrition activity to fight chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.
5. Ensure that assistance through a curative approach to manage moderate and severe acute malnutrition (via therapeutic and supplementary feeding) is at the centre of any nutrition support that covers the most vulnerable people in the selected areas, which have fallen below accepted nutritional thresholds (emergency assistance).
6. Support national communication campaign to promote good nutrition and healthy life style especially during the early period of life between - 9 to 24 months, as the most vulnerable period to nutritional deprivation - to promote consumption of diversified diets (variety of high nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, indigenous crops, and animal source foods), micronutrients supplements or fortified foods before and during pregnancy, optimal infant feeding (early breastfeeding initiation, EXBF for 6 months etc.) and complementary feeding, as well as access to health care and hygiene practices, based on evidence.
7. Ensure that the health workers in rural areas establish a close collaboration with agriculture extension staff and the local schools to provide well coordinated nutrition services and support to their communities, including promotion of and counseling on optimal feeding, care and nutrition during the most vulnerable period to nutritional deprivation (-9 to 24 months) as well as in identification and management of acute malnutrition.
(2) Launch AU/NEPAD TYS to eliminate Vitamins Minerals Deficiencies (VMDs) as one of the most cost-effective strategy to improve nutrition, health and survival.
Actions:
1. Support to sustain significant achievements seen across Africa to double twice yearly VAS to children 6-59 months, integrated with other high impact interventions through its institutionalization.
2. Support national fortification policy formulation and adoption of national standards, in harmony with global guidelines and standards, for mandatory fortification of key staple foods.
3. To support Governments in the sustainable and local production of nutritious food for complementary feeding, including fortification of key staple foods as per national standards.
4. Support to sustain achievements made to date towards Universal Salt Iodization (USI) goal, and accelerate progress in countries making efforts to reach the USI goal by addressing the remaining main bottlenecks.
5. Establish a well coordinated approach with the key public and private sectors to assure quality food fortification, and marketing as per national standards, to promote good nutrition and healthy lifestyle, consumption of diversified diet, fortified foods, use of soap for hand washing, hygiene and safe food preparation practices, particularly among women before and during pregnancy, and children 6-24 months of age to enhance maternal health and survival, as well as child growth, development, and survival.
(3) Advocate for and support effective management of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in both emergency and non-emergency settings
Africa continues to be affected by humanitarian situations emerging from natural calamities as well as civil strife. The effects of such crisis on children in particular is often devastating and deadly, often manifesting into the most severe forms of hunger, starvation and acute malnutrition. The technical means for treating children with severe acute malnutrition is now quite advanced but the problem remains that help is usually only coming when the situation has deteriorated very badly and many children and adults are in life-threatening conditions or have already perished. These situations may actually increase rather than decrease in the future as the global climate crisis is expected to lead to more frequent droughts and floods on the continent.
The national and regional capacity for ‘early warning’ and for emergency preparedness and response need to be scaled up to prevent humanitarian emergencies rather than waiting for a (predicable) disaster to happen. International agencies like WFP, UNICEF, FAO and WHO, together with other partners, should be tasked to build regional and local capacity to strengthen early warning and nutrition surveillance systems, handle emergency food supplies, organize therapeutic feeding, control epidemics, etc.
Mechanisms need to be put in place to allow countries to both address crisis situations when they occur while still maintaining a steady path to long-term institutional capacity building towards sustainable achievement of development goals, including targeted nutrition support to the most vulnerable population groups (e.g. the ultra poor, HIV affected or infected) to prevent and manage moderate and severe acute malnutrition, i.e. in non-emergency settings.
Actions:
1. Strengthen national capacity to effectively identify and respond to problems of moderate and severe acute malnutrition in all countries using facility and community-based approaches, with the aim to expand and sustain/institutionalize the programme.
2. Provide support to collaboration with public and private sectors on production of foods for special needs (e.g. RUSF and RUTF for management of moderate and severe acute malnutrition as a critical measures to prevent further progression from MAM to SAM and for life-saving).
3. Advocate and support for countries to strengthen national nutrition information and surveillance systems with links to early warning, to up-date their emergency preparedness and response plans with support from humanitarian partners.
ANNEX 1: Evidence-based Interventions to Improve Nutrition:
In January 2008 The Lancet – issued a special five-part series on nutrition; demonstrating the availability of proven interventions that could address longstanding maternal and child nutrition problems and save millions of lives[33]. The Lancet set of interventions focused on the period in the life cycle from the mother’s pregnancy to the child’s second birthday, which provides a critical “window of opportunity” in which interventions to improve maternal and child under-nutrition can have a positive impact on young children’s prospects for survival, growth and development, especially in countries with a high burden of under-nutrition.
A core package of effective nutrition interventions, as per UNICEF global recommendations (2009) and agreed upon by experts and program partners are highlighted in the table below. Successful scale-up implementation of these programmes will lead to enhancing significantly maternal and child survival and development in the short-run and in the long-run to contribute positively to communities and national economic growth and development through improved health and nutrition – which would lead to reduced health expenditures, and improved economic productivity later in life.
Priority Interventions for the prevention of under-nutrition and management of acute malnutrition by stage of life cycle
|Interventions |Justification |Commodities needed |Delivery Mechanisms |Indicators |
|Adolescent/Pre-pregnancy |
|Food fortification with |Reduces micronutrient |-Facilitate support for |-Public-Private sector |-household consumption of |
|folic acid, iron, vitamin|deficiencies; prevents |private sector to access |collaboration (development of |iodized salt |
|A, zinc and iodine |neural tube defects and |quality MNS fortificants,|national fortification policy, |-National food fortification |
| |negative effects |facilitate support local |legislation and standards, |policy, legislation for |
| |associated with iodine |production of quality |support capacity building, |mandatory fortification of |
| |deficiency in early |fortified foods and |quality assurance and enforcement|wheat/maize flour, cooking |
| |pregnancy |appropriate marketing (as|of national regulations, |oil/sugar, standards and |
| | |per national standards) |monitoring) |enforcement mechanisms in place|
| | | |-Intervention at home/community |-Prevalence of iodine |
| | |-Counseling Aids and IEC |level (increase awareness on |deficiency |
| | |materials |benefits of good nutrition; |-Prevalence of iron deficiency |
| | | |promote use of and create demand |anemia |
| | | |for adequately fortified foods) | |
|Pregnancy |
|-Iron folic acid (IFA) |-Reduces iron deficiency |-Iron folic acid |-Intervention at home/community |-use of IFA supplements |
|and de-worming |and other micronutrient |supplements |level (increase awareness on |-Household consumption of |
| |deficiencies; pregnancy | |benefits of good maternal |adequately iodized salt |
| |complications; maternal |-de-worming tablets |nutrition and IYCF; promote | |
| |mortality and low birth | |intake of IFA, de-worming, | |
| |weight |-Counseling Aids and IEC |iodized salt, and other fortified| |
| | |materials |foods; enable women to gain | |
| |-Reduces wasting and | |access to ANC and maternal | |
|-Promote use of locally |micronutrient | |nutrition/IYCF services; public | |
|available foods to ensure|deficiencies; contributes| |information and communication | |
|increased intake of |to reducing low birth | |campaign on maternal | |
|important nutrients |weight | |nutrition/IYCF; education and | |
| | | |counseling to enhance IFA | |
| |-Improves foetal | |compliance and uptake, create | |
|-Promote use of iodized |development, cognition | |demand of iodized salt and other | |
|salt, and other fortified|and intelligence in | |fortified foods, and optimal | |
|foods (with iron, folic |infant; reduces risks of | |IYCF) | |
|acid, zinc, Vitamin A) |complication during | |-First-level health facilities | |
| |pregnancy and delivery; | |and outreach (provision of and | |
| |prevents goiter, | |counseling on maternal nutrition | |
| |miscarriages, stillbirth | |and IYCF – with links or | |
| |and cretinism | |integration with ANC, screening | |
| | | |for anemia and acute | |
| |-reduces wasting and |-Facilitate support for |malnutrition) | |
|-Fortified food |micronutrient |private sector to access |-Intervention at referral | |
|supplements (e.g. |deficiencies, contributes|quality MNS fortificants,|facilities (treatment of severe | |
|corn-soya blends, |to reducing low birth |facilitate support local |anemia, and acute malnutrition) | |
|lipid-based nutrient |weight |production of quality |-Public-Private sector | |
|supplements) for | |supplementary foods and |collaboration (as per above to | |
|undernourished women | |appropriate marketing (as|facilitate adequate fortification| |
| | |per national standards) |of foods with MNS) | |
| | |-Lab tests (Anemia) | | |
|Birth |
|Intervention to the | | |-First-level maternity health |-Prevalence of early |
|Infant | | |facilities and outreach |breastfeeding initiation |
| | | |(provision of counseling on IYCF,|(within the first hour) |
|-Skin to skin contact |-Contributes to reduction| |provide support on lactation |-Proportion of infants not |
|with the mother for at |of neonatal deaths | |management as per national |weighed at birth |
|least one hour | | |IYCF/BFHI policy) | |
|-Initiation of | | |-Intervention at home/community | |
|breastfeeding within 1 | | |level (increase awareness on | |
|hour (including colostrum| | |benefits optimal IYCF (early BF | |
|feeding) | | |initiation) and on ten BFHI steps| |
| | | |to successful breastfeeding; | |
| | | |enable women to gain access to | |
| | | |maternal health delivery | |
| | | |services. | |
|Less than 6 months |
|Intervention to the | | |-Intervention at home/community/ |-International code for |
|mother |-Reduces iron & other |-MNS supplements |work place level (promote safe |breastmilk substitutes enacted,|
|-micronutrient |micronutrient | |and nutritive diet; intake of |& enforcement mechanisms in |
|supplementation |deficiencies & improve | |MNS, fortified foods; promote, |place |
| |quality of breastmilk | |support protect EXBF as per |-Maternity protection in |
| |-Prevents maternal | |national IYCF/BFHI policy; |accordance with ILO convention |
|-Improved use of locally |under-nutrition; helps |-As per above – links |optimal pregnancy spacing) |183 enacted |
|available foods, |maintain ability to |with private sector to |-First-level health facilities | |
|fortified foods & |breastfeed & assure high |support local production |and outreach (promote, support | |
|Supplementary foods of |quality breastmilk |of fortified and |protect EXBF – as per national | |
|undernourished women | |supplementary foods |BFHI/IYCF policy, screening for | |
| | | |maternal acute malnutrition – | |
| | | |with links to or integration with| |
| | | |post-natal clinic services) | |
| | | |-Intervention at referral | |
| | | |facilities (management of | |
| | | |maternal acute malnutrition) | |
| | | |-Public-Private sector | |
| | | |collaboration (as per above to | |
| | | |facilitate local production of | |
| | | |fortified, supplementary foods) | |
|Intervention to the | | |-Intervention at home/community/ |-Exclusive breastfeeding rate |
|Infant |-Assure optimal nutrient |-Counseling Aids and IEC |work place level (promote, |( ................
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