Nutrition Status in Sindh
Dr Dure Shahwar Khan
Provincial Nutrition Focal Person
Health Department
Government of Sindh
Nutrition – Basic Human Right
• Freedom from hunger and malnutrition is a
basic human right
• According to UN Article 24, states are mandated
to provide medical assistance & health care to
all children, combat disease & malnutrition
through provision of adequate nutritious foods,
safe drinking water & adequate sanitation and
provide families with information about the
advantages of breast feeding
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Situation in Pakistan
• In Pakistan, the nutritional status of children under
five years of age is extremely poor
• Child Malnutrition rates in Pakistan, significantly high
• NNS (2002) reveals 13% global acute malnutrition
(GAM)
• At a national level almost 40% of children < 5 are
underweight. Over half the children are affected by
stunting and about 9% by wasting
• Significant provincial variations in malnutrition rates
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Situation …
• Anthropometric deficits are systematically higher
in rural areas
• In the Pakistani diet cereals remain the main
staple food providing 62% of total energy
• Milk consumption is significant in Pakistan while
the consumption of fish, meat, vegetables and
fruits remains very low
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Factors affecting nutritional status
• Poverty
• Shortage of food
• Food consumption
• Morbidity
• Poor health infrastructure
• And other socio-economic factors
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Indicators
Sr. Indicator PC-1/ Human NNS
NNS 85-87 Condition 2001-02
Report ‘02
1. Low Birth Weight %(Less than 2500gm) 25% 30%
2. Wasting % (Low Weight for Height) 15.3% 11.7% 11.6%
3. Stunting%(low Height for Age) 46.3% 61.9% 31.%
4. Under Weight%(Low Weight for Age) 51.5% 44.6% 41.5%
5 Anemia (Children) 42% 42% 50.9%
6. Anemia (Women) 45% 60% 29.4%
7. Iron Deficiency Anemia (Children) - - 35.6%
8. Iron Deficiency Anemia (Women) - - 25.5%
9. Vitamin A Def (Children) (Serum Retinol - - 12.5%
Level)
10. Vitamin A Def (Mothers) (Serum Retinol - - 5.9%
Level)
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Situation in Sindh
• Flood Affected Nutrition Survey (FANS)
• Northern & Southern Sindh
• Objectives:
– Provide updated information on the nutritional
situation of children 6-59 months in flood affected
villages
– Assess coverage of Vitamin A supplementation and
measles and polio vaccination
– Recommend immediate and medium/ long-term
interventions to save lives and support livelihoods
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Northern Sindh
Reference
Results
Criteria
Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) (87) 23,1 %
WFH <-2 z-score and/or edema (18,9 - 28,0 95% C.I.)
N = 376 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) (64) 17,0 %
WHO WFH <-2 et ≥-3 z-score, without edema (13,6 - 21,1 95% C.I.)
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) (23) 6,1 %
WFH <-3 z-score and/or edema (3,7 - 9,9 95% C.I.)
Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) (81) 21,0 %
WFH <-2 z-score and/or edema (16,0 - 27,0 95% C.I.)
NCHS N = 386 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) (73) 18,9 %
WFH <-2 et ≥-3 z-score, without edema (14,3 - 24,6 95% C.I.)
1977
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) (8) 2,1 %
WFH <-3 z-score and/or edema (0,8 - 5,3 95% C.I.)
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Southern Sindh
Reference
Results
Criteria
Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) 21,2 %
WFH <-2 z-score and/or edema (17,3 - 25,6 95% C.I.)
WHO N = 373 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) 18,2 %
2006 WFH <-2 et ≥-3 z-score, without (14,8 - 22,3 95% C.I.)
edema
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) 2,9 %
WFH <-3 z-score and/or edema (1,7 - 5,1 95% C.I.)
Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) 20,4 %
WFH <-2 z-score and/or edema (16,6 - 24,9 95% C.I.)
NCHS N = 377 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) 19,1 %
1977 WFH <-2 et ≥-3 z-score, without (15,6 - 23,2 95% C.I.)
edema
Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) 1,3 %
WFH <-3 z-score and/or edema (0,5 - 3,7 95% C.I.)
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Emergency
• Rate of Global Acute Malnutrition = > 15 %
is
CRITICAL
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