Protection, Promotion and Support of Healthy Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding

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Protection, Promotion and Support of healthy maternal, infant and young child Feeding

High-impact Nutrition Interventions

Protection of Healthy Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding

• Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI)
  BFHI training materials for 2006 and beyond
   
• Code of Breast Milk Substitute (BMS) Marketing
  The International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN)
  The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA)
   
• Maternity leave and "baby-friendly" laws (International Labour Organization standards)
  International Labour Organisation's report on Maternity Protection at Work
   

• Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS
  Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) Briefing Note
   

• Universal Salt Iodization
  Universal Salt Iodization Resoure Kit
   
• Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation for pregnant women
  Guidelines for the Use of Iron Supplements to Prevent and Treat Iron Deficiency anaemia 46 pages
  Focusing on anaemia - Towards an integrated approach for effective anaemia control
  Joint statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund
   
• Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation for young children (Low-Birth-Weight 2-24 months; normal children 6-12 months or 6-24 months in areas where anaemia prevalence is more than 40%)
  Guidelines for the Use of Iron Supplements to Prevent and Treat Iron Deficiency anaemia 46 pages
  Iron supplementation of young children in regions where malaria transmission is intense and infectious disease highly prevalent 2 pages
   
• Bi-annual Vitamin A Supplementation for children 6-59 months
  A2Z - The USAID Micronutrient Child Blindness Project
  WHO - Vitamin A supplementation
  UNICEF - Eliminating Vitamin A deficiency
   
• Supplementary feeding programs for moderately malnourished children and therapeutic feeding programs for severely malnourished children (based on severity and magnitude of the crisis)
   
• Public Food Distribution System (based on severity and magnitude of the crisis)
  Department of Food & Public Distribution - India
  Figures at All-India/State/District levels
  Right to Food Campaign
   
• Integrated Management of Child Illnesses (IMCI)
  Technical updates of the guidelines on the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) - WHO 45 pages
   

Promotion of Healthy Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding

• Partnership with media, civic organizations and "baby-friendly" companies to increase coverage of appropriate messages and actions.
   
• Partnership within different departments and programs in the Ministry of Health (MoH) to mainstream appropriate messages and actions at all contact points with mothers and children.
   
• Partnership with different sectors to mainstream appropriate messages and actions and to valorize the complementary role each Ministry can bring towards improved nutrition.
   
• Annual events like World Breastfeeding Week, Universal Salt Iodization Day, World Food Day
   
• Monthly Growth Monitoring and Promotion
  Growth Monitoring Chart from India
  Growth Monitoring Chart:  Small  |  Medium  |  Large
  Using the Charts:  Chart 1  |  Chart 2  |  Chart 3  |  All 3 Charts
   

Support of Healthy Maternal, Infant and Young Child Feeding

• Cash-transfer safety-net programs for most vulnerable groups
   
• Food distribution for most vulnerable groups - World Food Programme
   
• Food Fortification  |  Sprinkles  |   Helen Keller International
   
• Community programs including "care-groups" and "home-based care" models
   
• Agricultural biotechnology - Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Micronutrients

View Micronutrient Update (USAID) 20 pages 945kb
Micronutrient deficiencies are major contributors to morbidity and mortality among women and children in the developing world. This Micronutrient Update, which continues where the May 2002 Micronutrient Update left off, presents information on women and children from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 2000 and 2005.

Indicators and Methods for Cross-Sectional Surveys of Vitamin and Mineral Status of Populations  155 pages 1.3mb
Micronutrient Initiative and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies remain a significant public health problem in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries where deficiencies to vitamin A, iron, iodine and other micronutrients leads to adverse health consequences. These include diminished learning and development capacity of young children and reduced work capacity of adults, both of which contribute to poor socioeconomic condition of populations. The implementation of effective intervention programs to eliminate or reduce the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in populations requires a wide array of activities directed towards ensuring high coverage of interventions. One component of national micronutrient programs includes the periodic assessment of the status of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, as well as the adequacy of the coverage of interventions in a population using cross-sectional surveys.

Reaching Optimal Iodine Nutrition in Pregnant and Lactating Women and Young Children
Joint Statement by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund
  2 pages 1.3mb

02 January, 2009