ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) with technical support from Nutrition International has developed and launched a national social and behaviour change (SBC) strategy to protect and promote healthy diets, practices and services among women of the country.

The focus will be on preventing all forms of malnutrition among women during the preconception, pregnancy and postpartum stages of nutritional vulnerability. The strategy will support the roll-out of the Pakistan Maternal Nutrition Strategy (PMNS) of the ministry of NHS and address the behavioural determinants of maternal nutrition, identified in the PMNS.

“The strategy, developed by the ministry with all partners, is a key strategic document that shall guide the efforts of all stakeholders for using the behaviour change communication and shaping their programmes aiming to address the poor maternal nutrition indicators in Pakistan,” said Dr Khawaja Masuood Ahmed, National Coordinator Nutrition and National Fortification Alliance.

He stated this at an event which was attended by over 70 representatives from federal and provincial governments, development partners, academia and mediapersons.

National social, behaviour change strategy launched by ministry with support from Nutrition International

It may be mentioned that poor maternal and child health has been a long-standing issue in Pakistan. The National Nutrition Survey 2018 revealed that Pakistani women of reproductive age (15-49 years) faced the triple burden of malnutrition - undernutrition, overweight/obese and micronutrient deficiencies. The survey estimated that 14pc of the reproductive age women were underweight while 24pc and 13pc were overweight and obese, respectively.

Similarly, almost half of all pregnant women in Pakistan were anaemic and 22pc are vitamin A deficient. Adolescents make up nearly 22pc of Pakistan’s population. The nutrition indicators reflect an abysmal state of adolescents’ nutritional status in the country - almost one in eight adolescent girls (12pc) is underweight, 11pc of adolescent girls are overweight and over half (56pc) are anaemic.

The government had developed a five-year Pakistan National Maternal Nutrition Strategy (PMNS) in the previous year to respond to the issue of maternal nutrition. PMNS identified the lack of a targeted, evidence-based communication strategy as one of the key challenges, amongst others that included the lack of an enabling environment, prevailing social norms and patriarchal values, wherein the importance of women’s nutrition was not well-understood.

The SBC strategy was developed to address these issues and enable and motivate pregnant and lactating women to practice the recommended dietary behaviours, regular ante- and postnatal care check-ups and consumption of recommended supplementation during pregnancy.

The SBC strategy aims to achieve some key objectives - increase knowledge, address myths and misconceptions and change the attitudes of PLWs and their family members and influencers for positive maternal nutrition behaviours, besides creating a supportive environment at family and community levels through addressing myths about PLWs.

Speaking at the event, Dr Shabina Raza, Country Director for Nutrition International in Pakistan, emphasised the importance of social and behavioural change to enhance maternal nutrition indicators within the country.

“The srategy marks a pivotal milestone that will yield enduring benefits for the health and well-being of women and children in Pakistan. This strategy, beyond raising awareness, will also bring in the essential expertise and capabilities required to address the pressing issue of maternal nutrition,” she said.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2023