Zubair Qureshi
The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination (MoNHSR&C) with technical support from the Nutrition International has launched the National Social & Behavioural Change (SBC) strategy that aims at protecting and promoting healthy diets, practices and services which support optimal nutrition, health, and wellbeing of women in Pakistan.
The SBC strategy is launched with a focus on preventing all forms of malnutrition among women during the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum stages of nutritional vulnerability.
The strategy will support the rollout of the Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy (PMNS) of MoNHSR&C, and address the behavioural determinants of maternal nutrition, identified in the PMNS.
“The SBC Strategy for Maternal Nutrition–Pakistan is an effort to support the rollout of the important component- enabling environment, of Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy developed by the MoNHSR&C with all partners is a key strategic document that shall guide the efforts of all stakeholders for using the behaviour change communication and shaping their programs aiming to address the poor maternal nutrition indicators in Pakistan”, said Dr Khawaja Masuood Ahmed, National Coordinator Nutrition and National Fortification Alliance, MoNHSR&C.
Speakers on the occasion were of the view that the poor maternal and child health has been a long-standing issue in Pakistan. The National Nutrition Survey 2018 revealed that Pakistani women of reproductive age or WRA (15-49 years) face the triple burden of malnutrition – under-nutrition, overweight/obese, and micronutrient deficiencies.
The survey estimates that 14% of WRA were underweight while 24% and 13% were overweight and obese respectively. Similarly, almost half of all pregnant women in Pakistan are anemic and 22% are Vitamin A deficient. Adolescents make up nearly 22% of Pakistan’s population.
The nutrition indicators reflect an abysmal state of adolescents’ nutritional status in the country – almost one in eight adolescent girls (12%) is underweight, 11% of adolescent girls are overweight and over half (56%) are anemic.
It was observed that last year, the government of Pakistan developed a five-year Pakistan National Maternal Nutrition Strategy (PMNS) to respond to the issue of maternal nutrition in Pakistan.
The PMNS identified the lack of a targeted, evidence-based communication strategy as one of the key challenges, amongst others that include the lack of an enabling environment, prevailing social norms, and patriarchal values, wherein the importance of women’s nutrition is not well-understood. The SBC strategy was developed to address these issues and enable and motivate pregnant and lactating women (PLWs) to practice the recommended dietary behaviours, regular ante and postnatal care check-ups, and consumption of recommended supplementation during pregnancy.
