World Vision’s new project urges Armenia’s mothers to reconsider nutrition

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

With more than 19 per cent of children under 5 being stunted from lack of nutrients and another 15 per cent registered as overweight Armenia is currently facing an alarming need to change the nutrition practices among the general population. With funding from USAID and in partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, World Vision Armenia is implementing a new two-year programme to address nutrition concerns across the country.

 Although the percentage of children who are being stunted or are overweight is of great concern, these are not the only concerns nutritional facing children in Armenia. A staggering 37 per cent of children were also diagnosed as anaemic.  

 Experts note that a number of factors are potentially to blame for the dire nutritional state of Armenia’s young children, including the fact that 32.4 per cent of the population live below the poverty line. Another factor is lack of knowledge. Many parents and even caregivers rely on “traditional” practices rather than implementing best practices.  

 The evidence suggests that poor nutritional choices are made from the time the children are born (many times even before) and can be highlighted in the dismal number of children who are exclusively breastfed—only 35 per cent of babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their lives, as recommended by medical professionals.

 And, for most, the situation does not improve with the introduction of solid foods after six months. The statistics indicate that only 34 per cent of children received adequate and healthy solid food after turning six months old.

 Another alarming statistics shows that some 50 per cent of children between 20 and 24 months old continue to use a pacifier or bottle, which again can be detrimental to their long-term health and is often due to lack of knowledge on behalf of parents.

 World Vision’s new project aims to unite theoretical and practical knowledge in a way that is easy to understand and implement for both parents and medical professionals, with a special focus on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life (beginning during pregnancy). “The final aim of the work we [are] carrying out with the medical workforce and the population is to achieve a change in the mind-set of people,” says Anush Sahakyan, project coordinator for World Vision Armenia.  The goal is that through increased knowledge and adapted practices, at least five per cent more children will be exclusively breastfeed; fewer children (two per cent fewer) will be stunted and at least three per cent more children between the ages of 6 and 23 months will receive proper nutrition.

The knowledge the programme aims to disseminate is being transferred to mothers and medical professionals across the country through education and training sessions, performances and competitions. “If the doctor understands the importance and the impact of every piece of advice he or she gives to a mother [they] will be more careful and willing [to share the most accurate information],” added Anush

 

Educational centres are also being established where parents can go to learn in a hands-on environment how to prepare healthy food for their children and how to take better care of them. “Healthy nutrition practices should be everyone’s knowledge. Every mother in Armenia needs to have at least the basic knowledge of how she can organize her child’s nutrition and care so that in the coming decade we witness fewer cases of anaemia, stunting and overweight,” continues Anush.

 Ani Grigoryan a participant in the program from the Talin region of Armenia is grateful for the new knowledge. “As a young and first-time mother I always had numerous questions on how to feed and care for my baby,” she remembers. “My only adviser was my mother-in-law, who advised me to give cow’s milk to the child, as it is ‘rich with calcium’” she remembers. “Now, when I look back, I understand how wrong it was to feed the baby with cow’s milk when I could easily have breastfeed, and then also to allow so many sweets in his diet, instead of giving him vegetables and meat,” she recalls.

Today, thanks to the training sessions and performances organized by World Vision, Ani now knows more about child nutrition and feels confident in her ability to care for her second child who was born recently.  

In addition to personalized outreach, the programme is also trying to spread its message broadly through the use TV programmes and public service announcements.