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Country faces triple burden of child malnutrition - The Island
Sri Lanka is facing a growing “triple burden” of child malnutrition that demands urgent, science-driven intervention, a senior health official said at a recent forum organised by the National Science Foundation in Colombo. Dr. Hiranya S. Jayawickrama, Consultant Community Physician attached to the Family Health Bureau (FHB) of the Ministry of Health, said that the country continued to grapple with undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and rising overweight among children, despite decades of maternal and child health interventions. Addressing the Science Forum on Food Security held at the NSF auditorium recently, Dr. Jayawickrama said malnutrition in Sri Lanka was no longer limited to hunger or food scarcity, but had become a multidimensional public health challenge affecting children across all social strata. She explained that undernutrition continued to manifest in the form of stunting, wasting and underweight among children. Stunting refers to chronic undernutrition over a long period, usually resulting in low length or height for age. Wasting, by contrast, indicates acute undernutrition and is characterised by low weight for length/height, often caused by sudden food shortages or illness. Underweight is a broader indicator reflecting low weight for age and may result from either chronic or acute undernutrition. Dr. Jayawickrama said that micronutrient deficiencies, particularly Iron deficiency, remained widespread among children and mothers, while overweight and obesity were emerging as growing concerns due to changing dietary habits and increased consumption of foods high in sugar/starch, and fat including ultra-processed foods. She identified several key drivers behind the crisis, with inappropriate infant and young child feeding practices as the leading underlying reason, with several other contributors such as recurrent infections, low birth weight, poverty, food insecurity and poor sanitation . Persistent myths and misconceptions surrounding child feeding, as well as parenting challenges, had also hampered progress, she said. “Authentic sources of information is essential to obtain a clear understanding in addressing this issue,” Dr. Jayawickrama stressed, adding that national nutrition interventions must be guided by routine maternal and child health data collected by the FHB, research conducted by the Medical Research Institute (MRI), and national level surveys conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics. Outlining the government’s...
Addressing nutrition in emergencies - World Health Organization (WHO)
Home Activities Addressing nutrition in emergencies WHO Bangladesh A father and child wait outside the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society/Japanese Red Cross (BDRCS/JRC) emergency clinic © Credits Hunger and malnutrition are rampant among refugees and displaced populations, representing currently around 40 million people worldwide, many of whom – infants, children, adolescents, adults and older people – suffer from one or more of the multiple forms of malnutrition. Besides wasting, deficiencies of iodine, vitamin A and iron are common in emergency-affected populations. In addition, scurvy, pellagra and beriberi frequently occur in populations entirely dependent on food aid. The levels of risk of malnutrition in emergencies depends on factors such as the degree of civil security, food availability and accessibility, access to health services, and adequacy of assistance delivery. News What WHO does in context of nutrition in emergencies The main thrust of WHO's nutrition work in the context of emergencies is to:Provide effective technical support through the production and dissemination of scientifically validated and up-to-date:guidelines, norms, criteria and methodologies relating to nutritional standardsinformation on food/ration compositionassessment of malnutrition including specific nutrient deficienciesimproved management of severe and moderate malnutritionmonitoring nutritional statusnutritional surveillance for both prevention/early warning and response when emergencies ariseStrengthen, through information dissemination and training, national, subnational and international capacities to meet the nutritional needs of populations in emergencies.Nutrition for Health and Development (NHD), in collaboration with the Department of Health Action in Crises (HAC) and the six WHO regional nutrition advisors, works closely with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), NGOs, academic institutions and other concerned groups and organizations, and is an active member of the Nutrition Cluster. Normative and standard-setting work WHO addresses some of the problems linked to Nutrition in emergencies through:A manual on how to manage nutrition in major emergencies, intended for health and nutrition professionals, which covers estimation of energy, protein, and other nutrient requirements in a population; assessment and management of malnutrition and related health problems; general...
Maternal and Child Mortality in Sri Lanka - Monitly Blog
This overview uses WHO data to explain maternal and child mortality trends in Sri Lanka with clear indicators and interactive charts.
Ministry of Women and Child Affairs
Ministry of Women and Child Affairs Circulars Programme to Provide a Nutrition Allowance of Rs.45,000/- to Pregnant and Lactating Mothers - 2024 Programme for Providing Morning Meal to Children in Early Childhood Development Centres/Pre-school - Formats
