National Nutrition investment plan
Dear Moderator
Thank you for the wonderful work. This new topic is actually long awaited and I sincerely appreciate the initiators.
To address the first question, I want to believe that experiences abound in most developed countries where social protection or security have enhanced better food security based on a sound Government policies. Social protection can be viewed from creating a functional market for local produces by government and thereby create unrestricted demand. This definitely leads to local growth of the economic that will boost food security and better nutrition. Secondly, the provision of social security as it is being implemented in some countries, where monthly allowance are given for sustenance have direct impact on food security at household level and could influence better nutrition. Another way that social security can be viewed from is price control and regulation. When there is little variability in the price of essential household commodities, then, food security and better nutrition can be guaranteed.
However, in contrast, most developing countries where social security or protection in form of functional market and price control of essential household commodities are virtually absent, then, the promotion of Sustainable Livelihood model should be encouraged and extensively promoted. This should be backed with micro-finance support which should be in agreement with household asset analysis. Also, the need for monitoring should be encouraged. If these can be put in place, the bases for economic growth would have been established which would invariably have direct bearing on better nutrition.
It has been noted in most developing countries that agriculture policies are only explicit on food security and little or nothing is know about nutrition component and how food security and surplus will be integrated to have direct impact on nutrition security. However, presently in Nigeria, effort is being gearing towards integrating most agriculture policies with nutrition programmes so that, food security will actually have direct bearing on nutrition security.
Putting nutrition on political priorities continues to be an important national and international debate. But sincerely, I looked at this issues as much ado about nothing. Why? There are enough data and evidence that good nutrition is very important from conception utill death if dignity of humanity is to be preserved. But looking at most under-developed and developing countries where the buck of malnourished children are concentrated, the leaders are also malnourished intellectually.
A lot of advocacy had gone down the drain without significant improvement in the health and nutrition status. Several methodologies have been used to advocate, sensitize and create awareness on the significant of nutrition to national development, but these have yielded little result.
The overall solution is to empower the populace rather than the political class on the WHY nutrition should be treated as a developmental agenda by any government in power and making sure that appropriately LAW, regulation, policies and guidelines developed are followed and implemented by such government. Voting right people in the position of authority is also very key.
Falana, Adetunji Olajide
Nutrition Division
Dept of Family Health,10th Floor
Federal Ministry of Health
Federal secretariat Complex
Phase III
Abuja
Sr. Adetunji Olajide Falana
Dear Moderator
Find below my contribution
There is no directional policy that is currently being implemented to fight against overweight and obesity, however there are several strategic direction documents imbedded in both Health and Nutrition policies on how to tackle the problems of overweight and obesity. These documents encourages and promote Nutritional counselling, adherent to dietary guidelines, Physical activities and mandatory Nutritional labeling to provide individual with appropriate and adequate information as it relates to Nutrients being consumed or eaten – in this regards, people have not being actually sensitized on the importance of reading the instructions on the food label before consumption for their Health and Nutrition benefit. Sometime in 2011, WHO supported a regional workshop in Arusha Tanzania to promotes consumption of fruits and vegetables among the member states, I am not sure if a single country in attendance at that workshop have done anything to further the implementations of several recommendations that the workshop came up with. Good percentages of these recommendations speaks specifically to overweight and obesity. Looking back to Mid-90s (in Nigeria) there are a lots of sporting activities imbedded in the school curriculum to promote healthy lifestyle, suddenly all these sporting activities disappeared from schools curriculum and the resulting situation is overweight and obese school children on the rise couple with dangerously changed dietary lifestyle that provide much energy from food consumed without corresponding energy utilization. One sure way to fight against overweight and obesity is to introduce Nutrition education in primary school and Secondary school and reintroduction of all forms of sporting activities in the schools
As mentioned above, there is no standalone policy or policies on Overweight and Obesity, but strategic direction documents imbedded in both health and Nutrition targeted School children, adolescent and adulthood. However in term of effectiveness and success factors, I am not aware of a single study conducted to evaluate these strategic direction documents either at State or National levels simply because no dedicated implementation have been initiated to fight overweight and obesity in the country. The major problem is that government does not see overweight and obesity as an issue for mandatory programme implementation, rather much effort is being concentrated on the other forms of malnutrition-undernutrition
The crucial elements are:
Adetunji, O. Falana,
Nutrition Officer,
UNICEF Sokoto Field Office
Sama Road