tailieunhanh - Improving Child Health Through Nutrition: THE NUTRITION MINIMUM PACKAGE

A child’s development is shaped by a number of factors, such as genetics, relationships with parents or other caregivers, socioeconomics, and early childhood experiences. By supporting the healthy development of young children policymakers help to provide the foundation needed for children to grow into thriving adults. Children who are healthy and successful socially and emotionally have a greater chance of becoming economically productive and engaged citizens. In addition to the important benefit to children, making investments in the well-being of the next generation ultimately translates into both benefits to and savings for taxpayers. What are the Key. | Improving Child Health Through Nutrition The Nutrition Minimum Package According to current estimates about 70 percent of all childhood mortality in developing countries is due to five major conditions diarrheal diseases acute lower respiratory tract infections ARI malaria measles and malnutrition. There is a great deal of evidence that malnutrition even in its milder forms can increase the likelihood of mortality from a number of different diseases and may be associated with over half of all childhood mortality. This makes malnutrition one of the most important public health problems in developing countries. To have a sustained impact on childhood morbidity and mortality health programs must include interventions to reduce malnutrition. Many organizations and governments have supported the integration of nutrition into health programs but progress has been slow in making nutrition a routine component of primary health care. Changing the behaviors of caretakers and families is critical to reducing malnutrition and other childhood illnesses. There is now a large body of epidemiological and programmatic data available to help determine the most important nutrition behaviors and the effectiveness of programs to change these behaviors. These data have been reviewed and then discussed with leading authorities in public health nutrition. This paper presents the six primary behaviors selected on the basis of such criteria as demonstrated relationship with morbidity and mortality ability to be changed through cost-effective public health programs and measurability. Interventions that target these six behaviors have been called the Minimum Package of nutrition interventions. They should be an integral part of all primary health care programs. The Minimum Package interventions aim to achieve these health and nutrition behaviors Exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months Appropriate complementary feeding starting at about 6 months in addition to breastfeeding until 24 months