Publication: How to Protect and Promote the Nutrition of Mothers and Children in Latin America and the Caribbean: Priority Nutrition Interventions and Cross-Cutting Approaches
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2012-12-10
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2016-02-02
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This section describes the priority nutrition interventions and cross-cutting approaches that are essential to promote and protect the nutritional status of mothers and children as well as a country's human capital in the short-, medium-, and long-terms. The main thrust of the guidance is that: (1) policies give special attention to the critical 'window of opportunity' represented by the first 1,000 days of life; (2) policies are aligned with the latest international recommendations in nutrition; (3) policies and interventions of key sectors are coordinated to provide synergy of action; and (4) resources allocated for disaster prevention and emergency management are invested in the most cost-effective way. Monitoring is a continuous process of collecting and analyzing information to better understand how well a program is operating against expected outputs and to allow remedial intervention to correct failures. Situation monitoring measures the change or lack of change, in a condition or a set of conditions and includes monitoring of the wider context. Performance monitoring, on the other hand, measures progress in achieving specific results in relation to an implementation plan. Evaluation is a systematic and objective assessment that attempts to determine the worth or significance of an intervention, strategy, or policy. It is used to appraise the effectiveness of an intervention to determine if it meets its goals, to estimate its results or impact, and to identify its costs vs. its benefits. Promote optimal breastfeeding practices. Provide all pregnant women with daily iron-folic acid supplements for at least six months. Provide deforming treatment to pregnant women, preschool-aged children, and school-aged children in areas where hookworms or soil-transmitted helminthes are prevalent. Establish strong links between agricultural, food security, social protection and nutrition policies that can be used to inform a robust communication program regarding maternal diet and critical infant and young child feeding practices. Support diversified agricultural production to increase availability of nutrient-dense foods, particularly those of animal sources.
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“World Bank. 2012. How to Protect and Promote the Nutrition of Mothers and Children in Latin America and the Caribbean: Priority Nutrition Interventions and Cross-Cutting Approaches. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/23711 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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Publication How to Protect and Promote the Nutrition of Mothers and Children in Latin America and the Caribbean(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-12-10)The study includes: glossary; references; and annexes. A number of countries in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region have been severely hit by food-price crises in 2008 and are still very vulnerable to food-price volatility experienced since late 2010. Humanitarian responses to high food prices, crises, shocks, or emergency situations should help the poor avoid the consequences of the reduced affordability of a basic food basket. This is especially crucial in the first 1,000 days of life (that is, children from pregnancy until they reach 2 years of age and breastfeeding women), since most of the physical and cognitive damages due to improper nutrition in this period are irreversible. The World Bank is leading a regional study on how to improve LAC country responses so as to protect the nutritional status of the poorest and most vulnerable in times of crises and emergencies.Publication How to Protect and Promote the Nutrition of Mothers and Children in Latin America and the Caribbean(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2012-12-10)The study covered a wide range of topics, making data collection especially challenging. Key informants were sometimes new to their posts and were unable to provide details on specific programs, policies, or coverage rates. Few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean mainstream into their crisis and emergency plans protection of the nutritional status of mothers and children in the first 1,000 days of life. All countries should reinforce the promotion and protection of breastfeeding in emergencies, notably by providing an enabling space for mothers to safely breastfeed their children and by managing the provision of artificial milk formula. It is concerning that during emergencies most countries provide powdered artificial formula instead of ready-to-use artificial milk formula to infants that cannot breastfeed, greatly increasing the risks of illnesses and malnutrition as a result of inappropriate dilution and unsafe water. All countries need to reinforce their monitoring and evaluation systems, including surveillance of food and nutrition insecurity. While most countries have some form of monitoring system, few of those systems are computerized, which impairs timely and informed decision making. Systematic evaluations of emergency and crisis response are seldom performed. A number of countries would benefit from updating their nutrition policy and protocols based on the latest available evidence. 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This situational analysis examines and quantifies the scope of under nutrition in the Kyrgyz Republic by presenting: (1) the epidemiology of under nutrition; (2) an estimate of the health consequences of under nutrition in terms of mortality and disability adjusted life years (DALYs), and the economic losses due to lost workforce and productivity; (3) the health, social protection, and agriculture and food intervention systems relevant to delivering interventions for improving nutrition; (4) the current coverage of nutrition interventions; and (5) the potential economic gains achievable by scaling up effective nutrition interventions. The current context is very favorable for scaling up nutrition interventions in the Kyrgyz Republic. Investing in nutrition has increasingly proven to have excellent development and health returns. The international development community has recognized (1) the need to scale up nutrition interventions; (2) the potential for public-private partnerships; and, (3) a growing consensus around a common framework for action. Reducing under nutrition worldwide is a priority for the World Bank and UNICEF, and also critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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