Kazakhstan launches programme for improving child nutrition among most vulnerable population groups

Over the past decade, Kazakhstan has made significant progress in reducing child and maternal mortality, yet growing inequality among the population makes the poorest population groups more vulnerable, the UNICEF Kazakhstan said.

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey carried out in Kazakhstan (MICS 2011) showed that the ratio of 20% of underweight children of the poorest population (the poorest quintile) is five times higher than the children of the richest population (the richest quintile). In addition, the poorest population lacks proper sanitation and clean drinking water, where the infant mortality rate is 2.5 times higher when compared to the richest part of the population.

"We want to increase knowledge and awareness of good practices in nutrition of neonates and young children, early recognition of problems associated with nutrition focusing on the most vulnerable social groups," said during the press conference Aizhan Yesmagambetova, acting chair of the Sanitary and Epidemiology Surveillance of the Health Ministry of Kazakhstan.

Malnutrition among children aged 0-36 months is a complex problem which is related to social and economic factors, inappropriate feeding practices and poor access to food, stereotypical concepts what constitutes proper child nutrition, lack of knowledge and skills of mothers, as well as inadequate counseling and advice from medical care facilities. Children's food intake lacks vitamin A, iron, zinc and other vitamins and minerals (micronutrients).

"The situation with the children's nutritional status is a reflection of their overall health. When children have access to an adequate food supply and are not exposed to repeated illnesses, they reach their growth potential and are considered well nourished," said at the press conference UNICEF Representative in Kazakhstan Jun Kukita.

This project is aimed at improving the nutritional status of children aged 0-36 months by training children caregivers to a timely and appropriate complementary feeding, better food intake and care of children aged from 6 months to 3 years.

"With the support of introduction of low-cost but effective technologies for the improvement of young children's food intake, the chances will increase at times that as adults, they will not fall behind both in the physical and intellectual development. We are pleased that our modest part in this project will help to create the most effective approaches to prevent and resolve problems with malnutrition among the most vulnerable children in Kazakhstan," said Oswaldo Biato, the Brazilian Ambassador to Kazakhstan.

In order to guarantee the sustainability and modeling of introduced practices across the country, the activities of the programme will also focus on the central government level and especially at the Ministry of Health (introduction of the national guidelines and standards for neonates and young children nutrition into effect). Actual activities of the programme will mainly focus on the geographical areas with the worst health and nutrition indicators, as well on targeted interventions among the most vulnerable social groups.