From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Insecurity, perennial flooding and illiteracy have been identified as major causes of the increasing cases of anaemia among adolescents in Nigeria.
This was the aggregate view of experts and health, food and nutrition sub-sectors at a one-day inception meeting with stakeholders for Scale Up of Adolescent Nutrition Programme to six LGAs in Delta State.
The forum, which was organised in Asaba by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), had in attendance representatives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Federal Ministry of Health, Delta State Ministry of Education, traditional rulers, civil society groups and the media, among others.
Chief Field Officer of UNICEF, Dr. Tushar Rane, in virtual remarks, lauded Delta State Government for approving the upscale of the adolescent nutritional programme from the initial three LGAs to six LGAs to compliment the pilot programme.
Rane noted that the gains of the pilot should be replicated in the new LGAs, adding that addressing adolescent nutrition in the state would help to solve many challenges occasioned by poor feeding.
He noted that malnourished adolescent could not lead a normal life neither could he or she contribute meaningfully to the economic growth of the state and the nation at large.
According to Rane, UNICEF will continue to support the Delta State Government to ensure that the programme it started in 2018 is scaled up to other LGAs to prevent acute malnutrition among the adolescents particularly the girl child.
UNICEF Programme Coordinator, Mrs. Ngozi Onuora, noted that the pilot scheme in three LGAs of Isoko South, Ika North East and Ethiope West had outstanding impact on the adolescents who were placed iron (Folic Acid) supplementation.
She noted that the scale up to three new LGAs of Burutu, Ukwuani and Ethiope East was the right footing by the State Government in partnership with UNICEF.
According to her, the programme was the first that targeted those aged 15-19 (adolescents), adding that this group was ready to transit to adulthood but that their transition could be hindered by poor feeding habit.
Onuora said the adolescent nutrition programme was targeted at anaemia reduction for the in and out of school children to ensure a healthier society.
She noted that aside from the administration of the food supplement, women and youths were exposed to economic activities, farming and food preparations to ensure cash flow and adequate nutrition.
The programme coordinator said Delta has a record of high percentage of malnourished adolescent “and the essence of this supplemental programme is to help break the generational problem of malnourishment cycle in the society.
“In year 2018, Katsina and Delta states respectively rolled out strategy to intervene and in 2019, we were expected to scale up to five states and in 2020 we were expected to scale up to 10 states but here we are in Delta just scaling up from three to six LGAs.
“The goal of the programme is to reduce anaemia prevalence and other disease associate with it by 2040 among the adolescents.
“Available statistics as shown that only about 19 per cent of adolescents eat healthy food while the remaining 81 per cent are malnourished in Nigeria.”
In her opining address, chairman, Delta Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Isioma Okobah, who doubles as chairperson for the occasion, thanked UNICEF for the support, adding that the intervention was critical to address the challenge of malnutrition among the adolescents.
She expressed confidence that “the programme will help the children to build resistance to diseases and it is in line with the state government agenda of health for all.
“The additional three new LGAs is a welcome development, we are hoping that UNICEF will take the programme to all the 25 LGAs in Delta.”
Nevertheless, discussant noted that it would be difficult to ensure food security in the wake of insecurity and flooding because the two phenomenons were major threats to food production.