Nigeria has the second-highest burden of stunted children globally, with a national prevalence rate of 32 per cent of children under five, with Oyo state among the states paying less attention to the need for nutrition in our society, according to a research by Civil Society Network.
The association made this known during a Day Quarterly Media Engagement On Infant and Young Child Feeding Practice in Ibadan, the state capital.
The association said an estimated 2 million children in Nigeria suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Still, only two out of every ten children affected is currently reached with treatment. Seven per cent of women of childbearing age also suffer from acute malnutrition.
Dr Taibat Oduneye, in her lecture, said malnutrition has been responsible, directly or indirectly, for over 50 percent of the 106 million deaths annually among children of under five years.
“The level of malnutrition among under-five Nigerian children largely due to poor infant & young child feeding (YCP) practices and Oyo state not excluded in the development because of how the government is attending to the need of nutrition in the society. Optimal infant and young child feeding are fundamental for the survival, health, nutrition, growth, and development of a child.”
She explained that WHO and UNICEF actively promote breastfeeding as the best nourishment for infants and young children.
“WHO and UNICEF recommend mothers worldwide to exclusive breastfeed infant for the child’s first six months to achieve growth, development and health.”
Also speaking at that event was the ANRIN Project Coordinator, Dr Khadijah Alarape, who explained the importance of ANRIN in ensuring that children are exposed to nutrition while growing up.
She said “The development objective of Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project is to increase utilization of quality, cost-effective nutrition services for pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under five years of age in select areas of the Recipient’s territory.
“This project has two components. 1) The first component, Basic Package of Nutrition Services, aims to scale up a basic package of nutrition-related interventions in twelve states. The second component, Stewardship and Project Management, aims to strengthen key stewardship functions at the federal and state levels for the sustained delivery of nutrition services.”
