Shillong, July 3: Children below five years in Meghalaya have a high rate of stunting, wasting and are underweight due to poor nutrition intake, according to a national survey.

The National Family Health Survey has highlighted that 46.5 percent of children below five years are stunted, 12.1 percent experience wasting, and 26.6 percent are underweight in Meghalaya.

Moreover, the Union Ministry of Education’s Performance Grading Index 2023 report, for districts across the country, showed Meghalaya has room for improvement in learning outcomes to improve children’s nutrition.

To address these issues, the state government held a two-day from July 1 to training program titled ‘nutrition through life cycle approach’ at the Pasteur Institute, Ganesh Das Maternal and Child Health hospital here.

This training was conducted in collaboration with IIT-Bombay using advanced pedagogy and focusing on techniques of exclusive breastfeeding, a critical component of early childhood nutrition.

The training’s objective was to combat high stunting rates caused through incorrect breast feeding practices and the right knowledge on nutritional practices. These incorrect practices are prevalent in both rural and urban areas in Meghalaya.

It was found that some mothers were not producing enough breast milk, leading them to introduce complementary feeding before their infants reach six months of age. Others were introducing complementary feeding, despite producing sufficient milk, without understanding the benefits of breastfeeding.

Dr. Rupal, Adjunct Associate Professor at IIT Bombay, demonstrated correct techniques of breast feeding using a baby doll and presented educational videos to improve comprehension.

Apart from breastfeeding, the training covered essential topics such as protein and carbohydrate calculation, understanding various nutrients, reflecting on nutritional counts, and modifying diets accordingly.

Dr. Devaji Patil, Consultant at IIT Bombay emphasized the need for pregnant and lactating mothers to consume at least 80 grams of protein daily while decreasing their carbohydrate intake.

Altogether 53 participants, including District Programme Officers (DPOs), Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs), Lady Supervisors and others benefitted through the training session.

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