Early identification, prevention and treatment of child malnutrition in rural regions of West Bengal, India

On the basis of research results of two doctoral theses entitled "Nutrient-dense supplemental meals with and without micronutrient sprinkles or micronutrient-rich leaf powder (Moring "Na/Amaranthus) to reduce the prevalence of anemia in children living in Birbhum District, West Bengal, India"  a dissemination workshop was held at the beginning of April 2017. It took place at the St. Mary’s Child and Mother Health Care Centre under the leadership of the NGO Shining Eyes India. The newest field research results were presented by PD Dr. Veronika Scherbaum and PhD candidates Caroline Stiller and Silvia Golembiewski. The director of the NGO Shining Eyes, Dr. med. Monika Golembiewski, presented the medical aspects of the study. A joint effort was made to exchange knowledge and construct a culturally sensitive preventive village program among the participants of the dissemination workshop.

The village program targeted pregnant- and breastfeeding women and children under the age of three years. The following steps were included:

• Prenatal care – to avoid complications and to ensure a safe birth of the child
• Screening/therapy of malnourished children (wasting) – weight and height will be screened/measured and a nutritionally enriched lentil-cereal mixture will be provided with a weight control during the follow-up care.
• Screening/therapy of anemic children – iron status will be evaluated using HemoCue-measurement in combination with an iron syrup supplementation during the follow-up care and 2-months control of the Hb-status.
• Screening/therapy of pregnant- and breastfeeding women – if necessary an iron/folic acid supplementation will be given with follow-up care every two months.
• Screening/therapy of tuberculosis patients – to protect malnourished children from an acute infection of their infected parents, a prophylactic therapy for children under the age of 6 years will be given to the affected families.
• Awareness-Program – this will be guided by the dissemination workshop and include 4 modules offered by social workers with the topics: healthy life and nutrition of women during the reproductive period, prevention of tuberculosis, early recognition of diseases in children, treatment and prevention of malnutrition and anemia among the mother and child pair.
• Cultivation of kitchen gardens – vegetables and fruits in particular Amaranthus and Moringa, which are iron-rich and provide essential amino acids, will be cultivated in kitchen gardens and shared with at risk families.
• Diversification of field cultivation - in particular oil seeds and lentils to enrich nutritional intake of local diets as well as an income opportunity.

Link to the German version of the study proposal