pregnant women are anaemic, and at least 120 million women in less developed
countries are under weights, this hinders women’s productivity and can lead to
increased rates of illness and mortality. Micronutrient deficiencies are a matter of
major public health concern. Traditional health foods help largely to counterpart
this issue of malnutrition in pregnant women and fetus.
2.4 Strategies to Prevent Malnutrition in Pregnant Women
Through Food Security
The following strategies are suggested to overcome malnutrition and micronutrient
deficiency through corporate social responsibility in community development using
traditional foods are like (1) Encourage the concerned international agencies and
NGO’s to provide assistance in combining all aspects of micronutrient deficiency
problems, through monitoring and surveillance, research, production and consumption of micronutrient rich-traditional-foods for pregnant women. (2) Ensure
that nutrition education and training programmes are implemented at the community, school and national levels to provide information on proper traditional food
preparation, nutritional value and bioavailability and other factors that affect
micronutrient status, especially of the pregnant women, and to promote consumption of traditional foods that are rich in micro nutrients. (3) The sustainable
traditional food-based strategies are given first priority particularly for pregnant
women deficient in vitamin A and iron, favouring locally available traditional foods
and taking into account local food habits. Supplementation of intakes with vitamin
A, Iodine and iron may be required on a short-term basis to reinforce dietary
approaches in severely deficient pregnant women, utilizing possible primary health
care services. Supplementation should be progressively phased out as soon as
micronutrient rich traditional food-based strategies enable adequate consumption of
micronutrient. (4) Plan and implement programmes to correct micronutrient deficiencies and prevent disease occurrence by promoting and dissemination of nutrition information and giving priority to sustainable traditional food-based
approaches that encourage dietary diversification through the production and consumption of micronutrient rich-traditional-foods, including appropriate processing
and preservation techniques allowing the conservation of micro nutrients should be
promoted among pregnant women. (5) Implement the most appropriate combination of the measures for improved traditional food availability, traditional food
preservation, nutrition education and training, dietary diversification, food fortification, supplementation and pertinent public health message such as primary health
care, promotion of safe drinking-water. (6) Develop sustainable institutional
capacities along with human resources, including training of professionals, and
community leaders, in order to achieve the goals of micronutrient deficiency control
and prevention of diseases in pregnant women. (7) There is need for more and more
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countries are under weights, this hinders women’s productivity and can lead to
increased rates of illness and mortality. Micronutrient deficiencies are a matter of
major public health concern. Traditional health foods help largely to counterpart
this issue of malnutrition in pregnant women and fetus.
2.4 Strategies to Prevent Malnutrition in Pregnant Women
Through Food Security
The following strategies are suggested to overcome malnutrition and micronutrient
deficiency through corporate social responsibility in community development using
traditional foods are like (1) Encourage the concerned international agencies and
NGO’s to provide assistance in combining all aspects of micronutrient deficiency
problems, through monitoring and surveillance, research, production and consumption of micronutrient rich-traditional-foods for pregnant women. (2) Ensure
that nutrition education and training programmes are implemented at the community, school and national levels to provide information on proper traditional food
preparation, nutritional value and bioavailability and other factors that affect
micronutrient status, especially of the pregnant women, and to promote consumption of traditional foods that are rich in micro nutrients. (3) The sustainable
traditional food-based strategies are given first priority particularly for pregnant
women deficient in vitamin A and iron, favouring locally available traditional foods
and taking into account local food habits. Supplementation of intakes with vitamin
A, Iodine and iron may be required on a short-term basis to reinforce dietary
approaches in severely deficient pregnant women, utilizing possible primary health
care services. Supplementation should be progressively phased out as soon as
micronutrient rich traditional food-based strategies enable adequate consumption of
micronutrient. (4) Plan and implement programmes to correct micronutrient deficiencies and prevent disease occurrence by promoting and dissemination of nutrition information and giving priority to sustainable traditional food-based
approaches that encourage dietary diversification through the production and consumption of micronutrient rich-traditional-foods, including appropriate processing
and preservation techniques allowing the conservation of micro nutrients should be
promoted among pregnant women. (5) Implement the most appropriate combination of the measures for improved traditional food availability, traditional food
preservation, nutrition education and training, dietary diversification, food fortification, supplementation and pertinent public health message such as primary health
care, promotion of safe drinking-water. (6) Develop sustainable institutional
capacities along with human resources, including training of professionals, and
community leaders, in order to achieve the goals of micronutrient deficiency control
and prevention of diseases in pregnant women. (7) There is need for more and more
556
B.N. Lakshmi and T.S. Indumathi