CM5.5-6 | CM5.5-6 | Nutrition Surveillance and National Programmes — Summary & Reflection

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Nutritional surveillance monitors population nutritional status continuously using surveys (NFHS, NNMB, CNNS), routine health information (HMIS, POSHAN Tracker), food balance sheets, vital statistics, and sentinel site data — with objectives of early warning, programme monitoring, impact evaluation, and policy planning. India's major national nutrition programmes: (1) ICDS (1975) — AWC-based, 500 kcal + 12-15 g protein for children 6 months-6 years; (2) PM POSHAN — school children 1-8, 450-700 kcal per meal; (3) POSHAN Abhiyaan (2018) — multi-sectoral convergence, POSHAN Tracker, targets stunting/wasting/anaemia -2%/year; (4) NIDDCP — Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) 15 ppm, household coverage 93.7% (NFHS-5); (5) WIFS — adolescent girls, 1 IFA tablet/week; (6) NFSA 2013 — 5 kg subsidised grain/person/month. Nutritional education uses BCC principles; socio-cultural factors (food taboos, gender-based allocation, religious restrictions) must be addressed for behaviour change. NRC manages SAM inpatient; CMAM extends to outpatient. Medical Officers supervise VHSND, NRC, ANC counselling, and WIFS distribution.

REFLECT

You are posted as a Medical Officer at a rural PHC. On reviewing the ICDS registers from 12 Anganwadi Centres in your area, you find: (1) only 55% of children under 3 were weighed last month; (2) none of the 14 children identified as underweight were referred to the NRC; (3) the Anganwadi workers report that supplementary food supplies arrived 10 days late this month. Identify which domain of nutritional surveillance each deficiency represents (process vs impact), rank the problems by urgency, and outline three specific actions you would take in the next 30 days as the supervising Medical Officer.