Using data from a nationally representative nutrition surveillance system to assess trends and influence nutrition programs and policy

• Main Authors: Nasima Akhter, Nancy Haselow
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut Veolia Environnement 2010-02-01
• Series: Field Actions Science Reports
• Subjects: Bangladesh; Millennium Development Goals.; Monitoring; Nutrition; Policy Development; Surveillance
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/factsreports/395
• ISSN: 1867-139X; 1867-8521

The Nutritional Surveillance Project (NSP*) of Helen Keller International (HKI), Bangladesh, implemented in partnership with the Government of Bangladesh’s (GOB) Institute of Public Health Nutrition (IPHN) from 1990 until 2006, is among the longest running surveillance systems; and was implemented with an overall goal to monitor nutrition and health status of children and mothers in Bangladesh. From 1990-1997, NSP data collection included rural and urban poor populations of disaster prone areas of Bangladesh. Since 1998, it evolved into a nationally representative nutrition surveillance system in rural Bangladesh and also continued assessing trends of malnutrition in urban poor areas. Over the 16 year period, the NSP produced plethora of information that was packaged and shared as bulletins, in peer reviewed journal articles, as presentations at conferences, seminars, workshops. The NSP had a flexible framework that allowed it to assess trends and underlying factors of malnutrition, monitor and evaluate selected programs and conduct special studies related to current and emerging issues. NSP findings were available to contribute to program development and supported policy discussions in-country and internationally. The NSP continuously highlighted the importance of monitoring, which is not only an indispensible element for a successful program, but also helps prioritization and decision making to maximize utilization of limited resources for developing countries burdened with numerous problems to address. The NSP provides an example of a technically sound surveillance system with rapid turnover of data and findings, which is imperative to successful program planning, policy formulation and tracking progress toward developmental goals.