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By Justina Auta
Mrs Naomi Iliya, the Vocal Person for Routine Immunisation at the Primary Health Care Centre in Mabushi District, Abuja says awareness campaigns on the use of locally available food sources have led to a significant drop in infant malnutrition cases in the FCT.
Iliya stated this during a field visit by journalists undergoing training on Nutrition and Food Systems Reporting and Advocacy organised by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and Nigeria Health Watch, in Abuja.
She said the sensitisation campaigns focused on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and the use of local food items to educate the mother on ways to improve child nutrition and health.
According to her, the exercise was part of efforts to assess progress made in nutrition intervention programmes aimed at reducing under-five malnutrition and promoting healthy growth.
She said mothers are now using millet, soya beans, groundnut, and vegetables to prepare nutritious meals for their babies.
“Most of these women complain that the high cost of feeding nutritional value food was one of the causes of malnutrition amongst their children.
“So we embarked on massive sensitisation exercise to create awareness on alternative locally available food sources that should complement breast feeding for babies above six months, while encouraging 0-6 months to be exclusively fed.
“Mothers are now embracing the use of locally available foods such as millet, soya beans, groundnut, and vegetables to prepare nutritious meals for their babies.
“And the results have been encouraging as we have not recorded any red, indicting Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) from the date collected so far this year, compared to last year that we had so many children that fall under that category.
“We only have yellow, which falls under Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM), and we have been monitoring and assisting them with the required medication and counselling to ensure the babies come out of it,” she said.
According to her, the PHC also uses Ready-To-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and Ready-To-Use Supplementary Food (RUSF) to treat and prevent malnutrition in affected children.
She noted that regular community engagements and nutrition counselling sessions had boosted exclusive breastfeeding rates and reduced incidences of malnutrition.
Iliya, however, appealed to the government, development partners and other stakeholders to strengthen the capacity of health workers through training and provision of nutrition supplements to support vulnerable households.
Also speaking, Mrs Maryam Isa-Abbas, a mother of four, said the sensitisation she received during antenatal and immunisation sessions enlightened her on the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and child nutrition.
“I now know ways to use alternative locally available food to complement feeding which will prevent malnutrition and improve the health and well-being of my baby.
“I also share what I learn with other women,” she said.
Similarly, Mrs Serah Samuel, another mother, said the awareness campaign and improved feeding practices among mothers has reduced frequent illnesses among their children.
She said she now prepares nutritious meals using local ingredients at more affordable rates to prepare food for her baby.
“Before now, I believed only packaged baby foods were nutritious. But I’ve learned to make pap mixed with soya beans and groundnut, which is healthier and cheaper,” she said.
Dr Olapeju Phorbee, Founder of the Food Agriculture Nutrition Network (FANN), stressed the need for continuous awareness and behavioural change campaigns to promote consumption of nutritious local foods.
“Good nutrition is about eating healthy and balanced diet food to improve the growth and development of an individual.
“And we have available and seasonal food across our regions that will enable us access sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets our dietary needs
at affordable rates for us to consume,” she said.
The nutrition expert, while urging mothers to ensure they exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months of their life, encouraged them to complement their feeding when they are older with healthy balanced diets.
She also appealed to the government and relevant stakeholders to prioritise issues around malnutrition and initiate implementable policies or programmes geared towards improving nutrition index in the country.
Mr Summit Karn, a Public Health Nutritionist with UNICEF, appealed to relevant stakeholders to focus more on nutrition and food system, rather than food security.
“While food security focuses on ensuring that people have enough to eat, food nutrition ensures people eat healthy and balanced food that contributes to their health and well-being,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Sadiya Hamza
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