Are data available for tracking progress on nutrition policies, programs, and outcomes in Nepal?


Book Description

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. In this report, we examined how Nepal’s nutrition policies and programs addressed recommended nutrition actions, nutrition outcomes, and the determinants of these outcomes. We reviewed population-based surveys and administrative data systems in order to assess the data availability on nutrition actions, and on the indicators of determinants and outcomes. Our policy review identified a total of 53 recommended evidence-based nutrition actions, of which 50 nutrition actions were applicable in Nepal. Of these, 45 were addressed in the country’s nutrition policies and programs and some of the actions were only available in some districts. Nutrition actions that were not included in current policies and programs included calcium supplementation and advice on consuming calcium during pregnancy, and daily iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation during childhood. Current policies addressed daily or intermittent IFA supplementation during preconception and food supplementation for malnourished lactating women during the postnatal period; however, there was no program to implement these actions. Nepal’s Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan (MSNP) recognized and addressed all key determinants of nutrition; it also expressed an intent to address all SDG nutrition targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), however, were addressed separately by a multisectoral plan for NCDs. Our data review found that out of 45 actions that policies and programs addressed, population-based surveys contained data on only 27 actions and administrative data systems contained data on only 25 actions. Population-based surveys and administrative data sources contained no data on: food supplementation during adolescence; weight monitoring and various types of counseling during pregnancy; optimal timing (delayed) of umbilical cord clamping, support for breastfeeding and immediate skin-to-skin contact, optimal feeding of low-birth-weight infants and counseling of mothers of low-birth-weight infants on kangaroo mother care (KMC) during delivery and in the postpartum period; breastfeeding counseling, counseling on appropriate complementary feeding, counseling after growth monitoring, and inpatient management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) during early childhood. Population-based surveys contained data on most of the indicators of immediate and underlying determinants, while administrative data systems did not have data on all indicators of immediate determinants. Data on all indicators of nutrition outcomes were available from population-based surveys. In conclusion, Nepal’s policy and program landscape for nutrition is robust, however the gaps in data availability for tracking progress on nutrition actions are much larger than the gap in policies and programs for addressing recommended actions. Future population-based surveys and modifications of administrative data systems should aim to fill the identified data gaps for nutrition actions.




Are data available for tracking progress on nutrition policies and programs in South Asia?


Book Description

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. As global recommendations are updated based on available evidence, it is anticipated that governments and stakeholders will, in turn, build on these recommendations to update national policies and programs. Little is known in the South Asia region about policy coherence with globally recommended actions. Even less is known about the degree to which countries are able to track their progress on nutrition actions. To address the gap, this brief summarizes the policy and program gaps in addressing nutrition actions, along with data gaps in population-based surveys in all the countries in the South Asia region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.




Are data available for tracking progress on nutrition policies, programs, and outcomes in Sri Lanka?


Book Description

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. In this report, we examined how Sri Lanka’s nutrition policies and programs addressed the recommended nutrition actions, determinants, and outcomes. We reviewed population-based surveys to assess the availability of data on nutrition actions, nutrition outcomes, and determinants of these outcomes; we also assessed the data availability in administrative data systems for selected nutrition actions. Our policy review identified a total of 53 recommended evidence-based nutrition actions, of which 47 nutrition actions were applicable in Sri Lanka; of these, 44 were addressed in the country’s nutrition policies and programs. Nutrition actions not included in current policies and programs were food supplementation during adolescence and food supplementation for complementary feeding during early childhood. Although policies addressed daily or intermittent iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation during preconception, the country’s preconception care program has not yet implemented it. Sri Lanka’s multisectoral nutrition plan recognized and addressed all key determinants of nutrition except women’s status; the country’s multisectoral nutrition plan and its national nutrition policy were found to also express an intent to track the progress of all Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) nutrition targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and also the indicators related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Our data review found that out of 44 actions that were addressed by Sri Lanka’s policies and programs, the population-based surveys we reviewed contained data on only 22 actions; similarly, out of 15 selected actions we reviewed in the administrative data system, data was available on only five actions. Data was not available in either of the surveys on the following interventions: various types of counseling during pregnancy, optimal timing (delayed) of umbilical cord clamping, indicators related to newborn care and care of low-birth-weight infants, postpartum IFA supplementation and breastfeeding counseling and around delivery and in the postpartum period, counseling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF), growth monitoring and identification and treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) during early childhood. In the administrative data source data was not available on IFA supplementation, nutrition counseling and advice on consuming IFA during pregnancy, IFA supplementation during lactation, micronutrient powders (MNPs) and zinc supplementation and on identification and management of SAM and MAM during early childhood. Population-based surveys contained data on most of the indicators on determinants and on all indicators on outcomes. In conclusion, Sri Lanka’s policy landscape for nutrition is robust; however, the gaps in data availability for tracking progress on nutrition are much greater than are the gaps in policies and programs for addressing recommended actions. Future population-based surveys and future modifications of other data systems should aim to fill the identified data gaps for nutrition actions.




The Philippine Economy


Book Description

In this volume, a leading group of scholars pose the question, has the Philippine economy rejoined the dynamic East Asian mainstream and, if so, what set of policies and priorities are required to maintain the strong economic momentum of recent years? Successive chapters address issues related to growth and poverty, infrastructure and urbanization, education, health, the environment, energy, development finance, and governance and institutions. The book has been written with a broad audience in mind. First and foremost it is for readers in, and interested in, this fascinating and important country with a population that now exceeds a hundred million. Second, it will appeal to those in the broader development community with an interest in the analytical and policy challenges that democratic, middle-income countries face as they struggle to lift their citizens out of poverty and to achieve broad-based and environmentally sustainable growth.




Oxford Textbook of Global Health of Women, Newborns, Children, and Adolescents


Book Description

Maternal and child morbidity and mortality affect women and children all over the world. In low resource settings, it is often the result of an illness which under other circumstances would be preventable and treatable. The disease burden predominately occurs in developing countries, but thedangers facing women and children are global issues. To improve conditions for women and children everywhere, we must address maternal and child health in their own right, and ask how they affect each other. The Oxford Textbook of Global Health of Women, Newborns, Children, and Adolescents is a comprehensive study of the cycle of life. The development of children is traced from pre-natal through to newborns, childhood, and adolescence. Posing child health against maltreatment, injury, and malnutrition,this book asks uncomfortable but necessary questions, and discusses how to influence policy and inspire change. Following women from adolescence to motherhood, it discusses sexual and reproductive health, HIV, injury, pregnancy, mental health, and much more. With examples from high- and low-resource settings presented by experts in the field, the Oxford Textbook of Global Health of Women, Newborns, Children, and Adolescents is a unique resource for medical practitioners everywhere. Divided into eight sections, it takes a life course approach to femalehealth. With a clear structure, helpful illustrations, and study questions at the end of each chapter, it is an easy to use manual for healthcare workers treating patients in the clinic and out in the field.Through its descriptions of the main challenges and explanations of the key theories in the field, this is the ideal textbook for medical students in paediatrics, obstetrics, nursing, midwifery, and other related areas. Looking to the future, it is also an invaluable starting point for policymakersand anyone with a general interest in the subject area.




The State of the World's Children 2009


Book Description

Having a child remains one of the biggest health risks for women worldwide. Fifteen hundred women die every day while giving birth. That's a half a million mothers every year. UNICEF's flagship publication, The State of the World's Children 2009, addresses maternal mortality, one of the most intractable problems for development work.The difference in pregnancy risk between women in developing countries and their peers in the industrialised world is often termed the greatest health divide in the world. A woman in Niger has a one in seven chance of dying during the course of her lifetime from complications during pregnancy or delivery. That's in stark contrast to the risk for mothers in America, where it's one in 4,800 or in Ireland, where it's just one in 48,000. Addressing that gap is a multidisciplinary challenge, requiring an emphasis on education, human resources, community involvement and social equality. At a minimum, women must be guaranteed antenatal care, skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetrics, and postpartum care. These essential interventions will only be guaranteed within the context of improved education and the abolition of discrimination.




Reproductive Epidemiology


Book Description

Reproductive Epidemiology introduces epidemiology students and health practitioners to a range of methodologies used to collect data and conduct analysis on reproductive epidemiology. The focus is to provide guidance on the use of methods appropriate for challenging and sensitive research topics, including sexual behavior, abortion, illicit drug use, and sexual abuse.




The Middle East Economies in Times of Transition


Book Description

Diwan and Galal looks at the structure and prospects of the Middle East economies after the 2011 Uprisings, focusing on issues of economic growth, inequality, the impact of oil, and the unfolding political transitions. On the growth question, the book looks into the extent of structural transformation of the economy, the political economy reasons for the lack of structural change, and the external conditions in the EU and in the GCC that underpin the lack of structural change. On inequality, the book offers new measures of equality of opportunity in human development and in the job market, and it also reviews the complex political economy of subsidy removal. Regarding natural resources, the volume provides three innovations: connecting the notion of 'oil curse' to the global phenomena of asset bubbles; evidence that resource curse effects do not rise monotonically with the size of the resource rent, but rather, according to an inverted U shape; and an extension of the concept of rent to the other non-oil rents that are also predominant in the region. Finally, the volume places the political transition in the region in a global perspective using various methods – theoretical, comparative, and empirical, and it explores the relationship between democracy in its variety of forms and economic development.




Expanding Opportunities for the Next Generation


Book Description

Early childhood is the most important stage of human development yet in Middle East and North Africa countries there is little research and inadequate investment in this crucial stage of life. This book covers risk, protective factors, policies and programs that can address inequality and shortfalls in the early years of life.