Nutrition and Women Health

Question: Describe the key nutrition or womens health issues in your selected article or case study. Describe the intervention to address the nutrition or womens health issues, its cost-effectiveness, and impact. How could lessons learned from this problem be used to address this same health issueor a similar health issuein another location? Answer: Key nutrition issues in the article: The key nutrition related issues highlighted in the article of Reducing child mortality with Vitamin A in Nepal, is that of severe Vitamin A deficiency (xerophthalmia) in association with death and blindness. Not only the children but women are also seen to die from lack of Vitamin A nutrition. Due to a high percentage of the population living in below poverty line mark, access to nutritious food is also compromised leading to nutrition deficiency among the children. Intervention for addressing the nutrition issues, its cost-effectiveness and impact: The intervention of National Vitamin A programme (NVAP) providing Vitamin A supplements twice a year to the children at high risk of malnutrition seems effective in addressing the health issues. The issues include prolonged diarrhea, measles, severe malnutrition and xerophthalmia due to Vitamin A deficiency among children in the identified districts of Nepal. The encouragement of Vitamin A consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding addresses the issues of child mortality efficiently. The cost of the NVAP intervention accounts for $1.25/child, $327-$397/death and $11-$12/disability adjusted life-year (DALY) indicates the high level of the cost effectiveness of the programme. Its efficacy in preventing severe diarrhea and measles also saved a considerable cost for the Ministry of Health. A very high percentage of 81% children in the age group of 6 to 59 months are seen to be able to avoid blindness from Vitamin A deficiency by employing the NVAP intervention programme. It is highly effective in reducing the child mortality rates for children under the age of 5 years in Nepal by half. It thus proves to attain a high level of success in its aim of reducing child mortality. Use of lessons from this module for addressing child mortality in other locations: Other locations as India, Philippines and Bangladesh can also benefit from this intervention programme since the program focus on the issues as nutrition deficiency in the children and pregnant mothers. It is a common phenomenon observed in the developing countries and underdeveloped places that are in considerable portions in the mentioned countries. The issue of limited access to nutritious foods leading to deficient nutrition diseases is evident in India and Bangladesh as well. It is clear from this study that the providence of Vitamin A supplements to the children and pregnant mothers in adequate quantity (twice a year) efficiently prevents and reduces the occurrence of such malnutrition and diseases. References Palermo C. The cost of nutritious food: a determinant of health.Nutrition Dietetics. 2011;68(4):246-247. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0080.2011.01560.x. Tielsch J. Vitamin A supplements in newborns and child survival.BMJ. 2008;336(7658):1385-1386. doi:10.1136/bmj.39575.486609.80. Chapman-Novakofski K. Nutrition and Health in Developing Countries.Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2010;42(1):69.e5-69.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2009.07.007. Palermo C. The cost of nutritious food: a determinant of health.Nutrition Dietetics. 2011;68(4):246-247. doi:10.1111/j.1747-0080.2011.01560.x. Tielsch J. Vitamin A supplements in newborns and child survival.BMJ. 2008;336(7658):1385-1386. doi:10.1136/bmj.39575.486609.80. Chapman-Novakofski K. Nutrition and Health in Developing Countries.Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 2010;42(1):69.e5-69.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2009.07.007.