National Complementary Feeding Assessment Studies Launched

Ministry of National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination's Nutrition Wing in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Department for International Development (DFID) on Wednesday launched the findings of National Complementary Feeding Assessment studies.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Sep, 2018 ) :Ministry of National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination's Nutrition Wing in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Department for International Development (DFID) on Wednesday launched the findings of National Complementary Feeding Assessment studies.

Pakistan's high under five year mortality and morbidity rates are directly related to malnutrition, lack of access to clean water, inadequate sanitation practices, food insecurity, poverty and a general lack of empowerment of women within the household.

Addressing undernutrition in all forms through effective programme is the national priority and top most development agenda as recognized in Vision 2025 by the government of Pakistan.

Appropriate feeding practices are essential for growth development and survival of infants and young children.

The National Nutrition Surveys and Pakistan Demographic and Health Surveys conducted over the last few decades show deteriorating situation of malnutrition among children and women.

According to PDHS 2012-13, only 38 percent children are exclusively breastfed, while more than half of infants do not receive solid, semi-solids or soft food during the recommended age. Only three percent children (6-23 months) received a diet that meets the minimum standards of dietary of diversity and only half of mothers practiced minimum meal frequency.

Ministry of National Health Services with financial support of DFID and technical support of UNICEF has conducted two components of National Complementary Feeding Assessment (NFCA). One is formative qualitative research, which would guide to find out why of the low level of complimentary feeding in the country and how to address it.

The second is cost of diet (COD) analysis to determine the availability and affordability of nutritious diet and explore dietary pattern among population in vulnerable districts. The COD also includes market and dietary pattern surveys and it has been conducted in geographic areas and districts with highest burden of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies.