A two-day sensitization training program titled, ‘Nutrition through Life Cycle Approach’, was conducted with an objective to combat high stunting rates caused by incorrect breast feeding practices and the right knowledge on nutritional practices.
The programme which concluded yesterday was organised by the Meghalaya Early Childhood Development Mission (MECDM) at the Pasteur Institute, Ganesh Das Maternal and Child Health Hospital, here, in collaboration with the IIT-Bombay.
With Health Spoken Tutorial pedagogy the programme focused on the techniques of exclusive breastfeeding, a critical component of early childhood nutrition. Apart from breastfeeding, the training covered essential topics such as protein and carbohydrate calculation, understanding various nutrients, reflecting on nutritional counts, and modifying diets accordingly. The principles of complementary feeding were also discussed.
It may be mentioned that according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 46.5 per cent of children under 5 years of age are stunted, 12.1 per cent experience wasting, and 26.6 per cent are underweight in Meghalaya.
It was also revealed during the field visits led by the Development Commissioner, Sampath Kumar that some mothers are not producing enough breast milk, leading them to introduce complementary feeding before their infants reach six months of age, believing their children are still hungry while being fed with breast milk alone. Furthermore, the provision of unsanitary and unscientific complementary foods has tragically led to child deaths from infections and septicemia.
Resource persons from IIT-Bombay, Dr. Rupal Dalal and Dr. Devaji Patil and others were part of the programme.
Dr. Patil emphasised on the need for pregnant and lactating mothers to consume at least 80 grams of protein daily while decreasing their carbohydrate intake.
A session on breastfeeding was conducted by Dr. Dalal who demonstrated correct techniques using a baby doll and presented educational videos to improve comprehension. The importance of reducing junk food intake was stressed during the session and Dr Dalal recommended biscuits and eggs as a healthier, protein-rich substitute.
The 45 key points on latching and breastfeeding techniques were also discussed during the session.
Altogether 53 participants, including District Programme Officers (DPOs), Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Lady Supervisors (LS) from Social Welfare Department (SWD), District Nursing Instructors, Supervisors from Health Department, and District Functional Specialists from Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society (MSRLS)/National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), Cluster coordinators as well as Program Managers from the ECD Mission, and Development Associates from the State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP) were part of the training.
The participants also visited the maternity ward at the Ganesh Das Hospital, where they conducted a practical demonstration of proper breastfeeding techniques, including the correct position and latch, with the mothers.
