Malnutrition remains a significant global health challenge, affecting millions of individuals, particularly children, in both developed and developing countries. While efforts to treat malnutrition are crucial for saving lives and improving health outcomes, the economic implications of treatment can be high and may not always be sustainable in the long term.
Recognising this challenge, United Nations Children’s Fund and other development partners are shifting their focus from treatment to prevention activities or projects. Preventing malnutrition involves implementing a range of interventions aimed at addressing its root causes and promoting healthy behaviours.
Medical experts emphasised the importance of promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life as a crucial step in preventing malnutrition. Additionally, ensuring access to affordable and nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein sources, is essential.
Educating individuals and communities about the importance of a balanced diet, proper nutrition, and healthy eating habits can also play a significant role in preventing malnutrition by ensuring adequate nutrient intake. Furthermore, implementing public health interventions, such as micronutrient supplementation, fortification of staple foods, and deworming programs, can help prevent specific forms of malnutrition, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Our Correspondent sought the opinion of the chairman Gombe Advocacy Working Group on Health and a Nutrition Champion, Mr Alhassan Yahya, on prevention versus treatment of malnutrition.
•Yahya, Nutrition Champion.
“As a Nutrition Champion, I have been advocating for the government to shift from spending money on treatment and focus on prevention.We should not allow children to reach Malnutrition, which is preventable. Therefore attention should now turn towards preventive measures,” Yahya said.
He also called on all stakeholders to change the narrative by becoming advocates of malnutrition prevention.
To the government, Yahya encouraged them that prevention was the easiest way to tackle malnutrition, but that those already malnourished, could still continue with the treatment until they recovered.
He said issues around nutrition were multi-sectoral, thereby, urging the various sectors concerned to develop a strategic plan of action, that could enhance the shift from treatment to prevention.
The Nutrition Champion equally advised the government to invest more in agriculture to ensure food security, create awareness about the consequences of malnutrition and promote the use of locally available food.
He also called on CSOs to form a coalition that could hold government accountable and create awareness on infant and young child feeding.
The Gombe State Coordinator of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations for Scaling Up Nutrition (CSSUNN)Mrs Comfort Mukollo, underscored the importance of collaboration among stakeholders in addressing malnutrition.
Mukollo emphasised that the costs associated with preventing malnutrition were significantly lower than those incurred in treating malnutrition-related illnesses.
•Mukollo, Gombe CS-SUNN Coordinator
“The substantial costs involved in addressing malnutrition, including medical care, therapeutic foods, and hospitalisation, which can strain healthcare systems and households high, compared to treatment,” Mukollo said.
She said CS-SUNN, supported by UNICEF, was currently implementing a project in Gombe State, which was focused on preventive measures, advocating for the extension of maternity leave to six months and increased funding for nutritional activities.
Mukollo stressed the need for a comprehensive approach involving governments, civil society organizations, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders to adopt prevention of malnutrition.
“Investing in preventive measures offers significant economic benefits in the long run, as it reduces the burden on healthcare systems, increases productivity, and improves overall wellbeing,” she said.
Mukollo emphasised the importance of civil society-government collaborating with international agencies, and other stakeholders to mobilise resources, raise awareness, and drive action on nutrition-related issues.
Malama Hussaina Ibrahim from Kaltungo Local Government Area of Gombe State Nigeria, a mother of a twelve-month-old son, Abubakar, shared her remarkable experience of exclusively breastfeeding her child for the first six months and then introducing complementary feeding with locally available nutritious foods.
“I breastfed my son exclusively for six months, and it was the best decision I ever made. After six months, I introduced water and gradually complementary feeding with nutritious foods, including orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, which I grew myself in my backyard,” Hassana said.
According to Hassana, she received orange-fleshed sweet potato seedlings for free and grew them, harvested, processed and add them to meals to get vitamin A,” she explained.
“It’s been a game-changer for my child’s health and development. My son is healthy and strong, and I can see the difference in his development. He’s now crawling and trying to stand,” she said with a smile.
“Comparing my two children, I can see the difference glaringly, because exclusive breastfeeding and the introduction of appropriate food, have made a huge difference in my current child’s health. He’s less prone to illnesses and has a stronger immune system,” she noted.
Meanwhile, the Gombe State Nutrition officer, Mrs Ronas Amusa, in response to questions on prevention and treatment of malnutrition, which is better? said prevention was, indeed, better than cure.
Amusa said the Gombe State Government was today more focused on prevention, hence the prompt release of funds to the Ministry of Science and Technology to produce complementary feed for children.
“If you use locally available food, it will tackle malnutrition. However, if we neglect prevention, our children will develop malnutrition, which will not be beneficial for the state,” she explained.
According to her treatment takes a lot of money, saying Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) is very costly.
“one carton of RUTF is nearly sixty thousand naira, and a malnourished child will need to consume one carton for treatment.Therefore, we are trying our best to focus on prevention,” Mrs Amusa added.
She further added that there was a UNICEF supported project ongoing in Kaltungo, Kwami, and Dukku Local Government Areas, where women support groups were being trained to prepare locally available food as meals for their children and families.
“The project is providing orange-fleshed sweet potato vines to women for planting. These potatoes contain Vitamin A and iron, which help prevent anemia and improve vision. Additionally, we are promoting complementary feeding, such as Tom Brown, “she said.
Mrs Amusa noted that the first one thousand days of a child’s life were critical, saying if the child is not properly fed, he can become stunted, which is irreversible, but that wasting can be treated with the ready-to-use supplementary food.
“Our focus is on prevention now. If you take preventive measures, we will not have malnourished children in the state. We have also introduced small quantity liquid nutrient supplements for prevention which is yielding positive results ” The Gombe State Nutrition Officer said.
Malnutrition, according to the United Nation’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF Bauchi Field Nutrition Specialist, Mrs Philomena Irene, remains a pressing concern in Nigeria’s North East region, where one in four children do not meet minimum dietary requirements.
She said, however, that with the new approach, there was hope that the tide could be turned in favour of these vulnerable children, while treating malnutrition was essential for saving lives, preventing malnutrition, through cost-effective interventions, offered significant economic advantages, by focusing on prevention rather than just treatment.
Mrs Irene said stakeholders could address the root causes of malnutrition more effectively and create sustainable solutions to improve the overall health and well-being in communities worldwide.
