Sight and Life Magazine 1/2011

76 REPORT FROM KATHMANDUPregnant women and nursing mothers are identified to visithealth care units and adopt preventive measuresRecords of existing health care units have shown that thoseadolescent girls, pregnant women, and nursing mothers referredand detected as having IDA have been found to have visited thehealth units. Pregnant women and nursing mothers have beenfound to have adopted preventive measures as suggested, andimproved the practice of planning and consuming iron-richfoods. Vitamin A capsules were distributed at all 10 sites, and100 percent of children aged 6 – 59 months received vitamin Acapsules. This was mainly thanks to the trained adolescent girls,aided by female community health volunteers who visited eachhouse. However, the majority of the target groups did not utilizethe health care units as expected, despite regular motivation bytrained persons. This was mainly for fear of losing their dailywages. Making the service accessible and providing regular motivationby family members can help reduce the problem of IDAin such target populations.Each trainee was provided with a kit bag containing a recordbook to record details of people with nutritional anemia and vitamindeficiency disorders, nutrition posters, iron tablets, andreferral slips. As a preventive measure for the whole target population,nutrition education was delivered with the help of pictorialprinted materials.Trained adolescent girls took responsibility in their respectiveworkplaces and health educators delivered nutrition educationto a group every two months. Due consideration was givento the importance of micronutrient supplements for safe delivery,safe motherhood, prevention and control of childhood blindness,and mortality. Nursing mothers were encouraged to breastfeedtheir children up to at least two years of age, and to feed childrenfood rich in iron and vitamin A from six months.Correspondence: Uptal Chalise, Youth Volunteer Group,c/o GPO Box 1144 Kathmandu, Banepa, Kavrepalanchok, NepalE-mail: vg87@hotmail.com“IDA is the mostcommon nutritionalproblem in Nepal”