Manipur celebrates nutrition week

Imphal, September 3: Manipur today joined the rest of the nation observing National Nutrition Week on the theme “Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health”.

The Manipur part was organised by Herbalite Independent Association of Manipur with a fun run.

Doctors and fitness enthusiasts took out the awareness rally carrying the message of living healthy by adopting 80% nutrition care and 20 % physical exercises.

Around 400 men and women participated the run that kick started from B.B. Nutrition centre, Keishamthong in Imphal West. The run destinated at Brahmapur Nahabam Leikai and held an awareness meeting.

The National Nutrition Week was scheduled to observe throughout the country from 1st to 7th September.

The basic objective of this annual event is to intensify awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.

The Food and Nutrition Board of Ministry of Women & Child Development, through its 43 Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units (CFNEUs) located in 30 States/UTs, coordinates with concerned Department of the State/UT Governments, National Institutions, NGOs and organize State/UT Level Workshops, Orientation Training of Fields Functionaries, Awareness Generation Camps, Community meetings during the week on the specified theme.

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Women and Child Development stated Nutrition is an issue of survival, health and development for current and succeeding generations. Child born underweight have impaired immune function and increased risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases in their later life. Malnourished children tend to have lower IQ and impaired cognitive ability, thus affecting their school performance and then productivity in their later life. It has to be realized that the nutritional health and all age groups represent say National Economic Asset.

As, improving the nutritional status of the population is imperative for National Development. Under nutrition in young children continues to be a major public health problem in India. The NFHS4 has not shown an encouraging improvement in the nutritional status, especially among women and children. As per NFHS-4 the level of underweight has decreased by 6.8% and is stunting by 9.6%. Level of anaemia has decreased by 11% as compared to NNHS-3 figures.

Malnutrition is not to be viewed merely as an offshoot of poverty having adverse effects on health and development of individuals but as a national problem that results in loss of productivity and economic backwardness. Time has come to create a moment so as to improve nutrition at the individual level. Thus, series of convergent and well coordinated actions in different sectors are required to be undertaken in the mission mode approach to address this big network problem of malnutrition.

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