Quang Ngai Province: More than $150,000 to address malnutrition among children in Quang Ngai

June 14, 2010

Ms. Nemat Hajeebhoy, Country Director of the Alive &Thrive Project (A&T), said A&T will be implemented from 2010-2013 in four districts: Ba To, Tra Bong, Binh Son, and Tu Nghia, with a total budget of $150,000.

The project aims to reduce undernutrition and deaths among childrencaused by sub-optimal infant and young children feeding (IYCF) practices. In the projected districts of Quang Ngai, A&T will implement intervention strategies to improve policy implementation, create an environment supportive of IYCF to encourage good practices, and promote the services of health facilities offering quality IYCF services. The project also seeks to boost supply and use of foods rich in nutrients by ensuring mothers have access to information and a wide variety of foods that are appropriate for children and reasonably priced.

According to nutrition data collected in 2009 from districts throughout the province, more than two thirds of pregnant women and mothers with infants under 6 months old had little knowledge of the nutritional benefits of breast milk. Most mothers = introduced other foods by the time their infants reached 4-5 months old. A&T surveys in the province found that complementary feeding practices in Quang Ngai were better than in other provinces, but only to a small degree.

Article translated into English. View original article in Vietnamese.