Page 3 - Public Eye Newsletter Volume 7 Issue 3

September 2023 Volume 7 Issue No. 3

ing malnourished and giving birth to malnourished babies. through innovative means, and a coherent strategy for
A slew of government initiatives endeavours to address various addressing female adolescent anaemia would yield great-
aspects of the burden of malnutrition. Programmes such as Inte- er results. The role of CSR programmes as innovative pi-
grated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mission Indradhanush, lots has great potential in introducing contextual, quali-
the Mid-Day Meal scheme, Rashtra Bal Swasthya Karyakram, tative and impactful efforts which could seamlessly blend
WIFS & Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), National with ongoing government efforts. Could we nudge schools
Food Security Act have been functioning since decades. While we to compete on wellness?
have well-articulated models and schemes with large coverage, 4. Behavioural Change Initiatives: Promoting behaviour
gaps in implementation have lowered their impact. A systemic change is essential to overcome cultural and social bar-
approach to gaps in implementation would be contingent to ad- riers to improved health and nutrition. Tailored inter-
dressing the burden of malnutrition. In this article though, I’d ventions that address specific challenges within different
like to limit the ambit and touch upon few aspects from a purely communities are necessary. While we focus on science
programmatic perspective. quiz and maths quiz across schools for instance, we would
1. Robust Nutritional Surveillance: Based on our work with never find a competition across schools on health param-
Anganwadi’s for instance, we realised that COVID had led to eters. At our Foundation, we have ventured on a health
worsening nutrition indices in our local area of operation. promoting school concept, which would focus on sever-
Through the first, second and third wave, owing to the lock- al inter-related concepts including nutrition. Could we
down, unemployment and other socio-economic transitions nudge schools to compete on wellness indicators?
in families, children became vulnerable for malnutrition 5. Research and Innovation: The role research cannot be
which affected their holistic development. While AWW use overemphasized. . Investing in research on nutrition, be-
the Poshan tracker for empanelment of the population or haviour change and innovative solutions can lead to ev-
children under their care, continued entry was lacking and idence-based interventions. The role of collaborative in-
the option to track growth measures, for instance, through terventions, either as a public-private partnership, purely
WHO standards, was not incorporated in the application. research driven enquiry through eminent academic insti-
Continued capacity building of AWWs, use of technology and tutions, or “lighthouse initiatives” with multiple private
appropriate tools would enable a more proactive approach and public entities focusing on action research anchored
to monitoring key growth indicators. within existing nutrition schemes, would go a long way
2. Nutrition Education and Awareness: Implementing wide- in understanding role of interventions, technology aids,
spread nutrition education campaigns can raise awareness innovations, and their feasibility; which could help inform
about the importance of balanced diets, micronutrient-rich and scale robust interventions.
foods, and the negative effects of malnutrition. These cam- Q: Do you think that a nexus of corporate, Government
paigns should especially target vulnerable populations. and organisations like PAC work together to improve
Our team observed for instance that several mothers’ from the quality of life of people in the communities? If so,
migrant families at local Anganwadi’s lacked the means, how?
awareness levels and access to nutrition education. Cultur- A: I believe that a collaboration of partners including PAC,
al factors and language barriers can present challenges in the Government, Corporate CSR groups as well as grass-root
their understanding. Regular feedback or surveys of caregiv- NGO partners would help bring several strengths to the table.
er’s knowledge and practices would influence contextual As mentioned earlier, I believe the role of “Lighthouse” initi-
strategies for awareness building exercises. Equal emphasis atives or focused collaborations could highlight specific con-
on quality of service in terms of changing the family/car- cerns and multi-level interventions. For instance, the Ministry
egiver-based feeding practices, would yield greater results. of Drinking Water and Sanitation has commissioned a light-
3. School Health Programmes: Schools can play a pivotal role house initiative to address the sanitation ecosystem through
in promoting health and nutrition. School health check public-private partnership mode. A similar such collaboration
programmes conducted by our team in nearby govern- could be anchored by PAC, bringing together several relevant
ment schools, have found low BMI across more than 70% of stakeholders in a specific setting. An impactful, inclusive, and
male and female students with high prevalence of anemia feasible model in one block could be replicated across several
in female students. The discordant approach to addressing blocks, supported through Government schemes, CSR efforts
anaemia in student cohorts, both within RBSK and prima- and local NGOs. This would also create an active ecosystem for
ry healthcare centres, was clearly evident. Regular health exchange, analysis and learning amongst collaborators.
surveillance, increasing awareness levels towards anaemia

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