The evolution, progress, and future direction of Nepal's universal salt iodization program

Paudyal, Naveen; Chitekwe, Stanley; Rijal, Sanjay; Parajuli, Kedar Raj; Pandav, C S; Maharjan, Macha; Houston, Robin; Gorstein, Jonathan

doi:10.1111/mcn.12945

Cited by 11 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Although iodized salt has public health benefits for the entire population, it is particularly important for adolescents and women of reproductive age because iodine deficiency has the most severe and irreversible impacts on cognition during fetal development. Paudyal et al ( 2022a ) review the evolution, progress and future direction of Nepal's USI programme. They find that a well‐executed USI programme has achieved optimal iodine intake for its population, effectively eliminating the adverse consequences of iodine deficiency disorders.…”

Section: Adolescent's and Women's Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrition in Nepal: Three decades of commitment to children and women

Chitekwe¹,

Torlesse²,

Aguayo

2021

Maternal & Child Nutrition

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South Asia has made significant progress in reducing child undernutrition. The prevalence of stunting declined by one third between 2000 and 2019; as a result, in 2019, there were 34 million fewer stunted children than in 2000, indicating that progress for child nutrition is possible and is happening at scale. However, no country in South Asia is on track for all nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2, and the region has the highest prevalence of stunting (33.2%) and wasting (14.8%) in the world. Nepal, the best performing country in the region, narrowly missed the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to half the prevalence of child underweight between 1990 and 2015 and achieved the fastest recorded reduction in stunting prevalence in the world between 2001 and 2011. In 2019, UNICEF Nepal completed a series of papers to examine Nepal's progress on maternal and child nutrition during the MDG era. The series explores the trends, distribution and disparities in stunting, micronutrient deficiencies and feeding practices in children under 5 years and anaemia in adolescents and women. Besides, it reviews national micronutrient programmes (vitamin A supplementation, iron and folic acid supplementation and universal salt iodization) and Nepal's first Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan, to illuminate the success factors and enduring challenges in the policy and programme landscape for nutrition. This overview paper summarizes the evidence from these analyses and examines the implications for the direction of future advocacy, policy and programme actions to improve maternal and child nutrition in Nepal and other similar contexts.

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Section: Adolescent's and Women's Nutritionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…adolescents and women of reproductive age because iodine deficiency has the most severe and irreversible impacts on cognition during fetal development Paudyal et al (2022a). review the evolution, progress and future direction of Nepal's USI programme.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition in Nepal: Three decades of commitment to children and women

Chitekwe¹,

Torlesse²,

Aguayo

2021

Maternal & Child Nutrition

Self Cite

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“…Initially, efforts should be made to meet these needs with a diverse locally available diet or with food fortification (eg, iodized salt). 52,53 Home fortification of infant foods with micronutrient powders has proved useful in some situations. However, careful monitoring of the effects of iron and folate fortification are recommended because of possible side effects.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for Complementary Feeding of Infants in the Asia Pacific Region: APACPH Public Health Nutrition Group

Binns

Lee

Low

et al. 2020

Asia Pac J Public Health

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Good nutrition in the first “1000 days,” including breastfeeding and appropriate complementary foods, prepares for a healthy childhood and adult life, also contributes to the prevention of the double burden of malnutrition. Exclusive breastfeeding provides all required nutrients until an infant is around 6 months of age when complementary foods are needed. A literature review was undertaken of complementary foods in the Asia Pacific region. The foods being used at present are often of low nutrient density may provide insufficient amounts of some critical nutrients, and generally the variety is limited. Guidelines for complementary feeding are provided to assist in education and in public health planning.

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“…Likewise, data on improved vitamin A statuses in Guatemala following revitalization of the sugar fortification program have allowed the government to scale back vitamin A supplementation, thereby reducing the risk of vitamin A toxicity while lowering program costs ( 29 ). Similarly, findings on adequate UICs following salt iodization in Nepal allowed the country to discontinue the iodized oil capsule program ( 30 ). Thus, the availability of data on population MN statuses has not only presented opportunities for MN intervention programs and improvements of these programs, but has also led to safer and more coherent interventions and considerable cost savings overall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing the availability and utilization of reliable data on population micronutrient (MN) status globally: the MN Data Generation Initiative

Brown

Moore

Hess

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

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Micronutrient (MN) deficiencies can produce a broad array of adverse health and functional outcomes. Young, preschool children and women of reproductive age in low- and middle-income countries are most affected by these deficiencies, but the true magnitude of the problems and their related disease burdens remain uncertain because of the dearth of reliable biomarker information on population MN status. The reasons for this lack of information include a limited understanding by policy makers of the importance of MNs for human health and the usefulness of information on MN status for program planning and management; insufficient professional capacity to advocate for this information and design and implement related MN status surveys; high costs and logistical constraints involved in specimen collection, transport, storage, and laboratory analyses; poor access to adequately equipped and staffed laboratories to complete the analyses reliably; and inadequate capacity to interpret and apply this information for public health program design and evaluation. This report describes the current situation with regard to data availability, the reasons for the lack of relevant information, and the steps needed to correct this situation, including implementation of a multi-component MN Data Generation Initiative to advocate for critical data collection and provide related technical assistance, laboratory services, professional training, and financial support.

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The evolution, progress, and future direction of Nepal's universal salt iodization program

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

Nutrition in Nepal: Three decades of commitment to children and women

Nutrition in Nepal: Three decades of commitment to children and women

Guidelines for Complementary Feeding of Infants in the Asia Pacific Region: APACPH Public Health Nutrition Group

Increasing the availability and utilization of reliable data on population micronutrient (MN) status globally: the MN Data Generation Initiative

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