 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Ward Siamusantu, National Food and Nutrition Commission, P.O. Box 32669, Lumumba Road, Lusaka, Zambia, 096-437202, nfnc@zamnet.zm
Project: Following success with the once-yearly NIDs campaign, the supplement strategy was changed to a twice-yearly Child Health Week during which a variety of preventive services are offered through health facilities and outreach services. This has resulted in a dramatic improvement in supplement coverage, approaching 70% in all districts according to district tally sheets, with confirmation in 4 districts with representative household-based mini-surveys.
This success highlights the critical role of district offices and community mobilization and the strength of the routine but periodic approach, and provides an opportunity to strengthen a variety of preventive services including immunization coverage, health education, and deworming among others. The twice-yearly Child Health Weeks offer a way to concentrate promotion activities and logistic supply of capsules, and make service delivery for a package of preventive services possible with limited funds.
Setting: Child Health Week activities are implemented twice yearly, in February and August. In February, all the 72 districts participate, while 35 districts are involved in August.
Partners: Ministry of Health, Central Board of Health, NGOs
Results: The change of vitamin A supplementation strategy to a twice-yearly Child Health Week during which a variety of preventive services are offered through health facilities and outreach services has resulted in a dramatic improvement in supplement coverage, approaching 80% in all districts according to district tally sheets.
Conclusion: Twice yearly Child Health Week, as a post-NIDs strategy for vitamin A supplementation, has proved to be sustainable and has increased the vitamin A supplementation coverage in Zambia.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Public Health Policy, Nutrition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.