Interventions

• Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project

  Malnutrition amongst women is one of the main causes of low birth weight of children and the associated mortality and morbidity. The Multi-sectoral Nutrition Project aims to improve access, quality and coverage of critical nutrition interventions in the most neglected geographies and population sub groups in Karnataka.

  Goal: To reduce malnutrition among children below 36 months, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women through sustainable inter-sectoral and intergenerational approaches in Chincholi and Devadurga blocks.

• Context:

  In India 2.1 million children under the age of five years dies every year due to various causes; 50 per cent of these deaths are due to under-nutrition.  Government of India has identified eight districts in northern Karnataka as high priority districts in its ‘RMNCH+A Call to Action Strategy’ to provide additional focus through innovative strategies and accelerate achievement of health and nutrition related targets. The Government of Karnataka also recognizes the urgent need to bridge the existing inequities and has responded through different sectors such as Women and Child Development, Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, etc. Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society under the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RDPR)  proactively responded to address this need through strategies involving grassroots communities in the most backward blocks of the state, Devadurga of Raichur district (ranked 175th )*and Chincholi of Gulbarga district (ranked 173rd)*.  (*As per Comprehensive Composite Development Index (CCDI)

• Implementation

  Strategically implemented at three levels, the programme aims to improve:

  1. Availability and accessibility of Fortified Blended Foods (FBF) using local community structures
  2. Consumption of nutritious food by the target groups within family budgets through appropriate behavioral change communication (BCC)
  3. Linkages with existing nutrition enhancing services implemented by other social sector programmes.

  To improve the nutrition outcomes, the intervention:

  • Encourages village level community structures to produce and distribute Fortified Blended Food (FBF) to the identified beneficiaries
  • Improves service delivery and outreach through the use of behaviour change communication tools
  • Builds an enabling environment and creates platforms for co-ordination and convergence of community structures and state departments towards achieving the common goal

  KHPT is implementing the project from 2015 to 2018 in partnership with Karnataka State Rural Livelihood Promotion Society (KSRLPS) under the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR), Government of Karnataka and the Karnataka Comprehensive Nutrition Mission (KCNM). The project is funded by the World Bank and GAIN.

   

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KHPT will implement the RCT titled “Long term efficacy of indigenously developed micronutrient fortified rice in improving iron stores in school children and their mothers; process standardization to match the physical characteristics of fortified rice kernels with commercial rice varieties and storage stability”, funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India (DBT), in Koppal district of Karnataka. The technology for manufacturing of Fortified Rice Kernel premix and blended micronutrient fortified rice will be provided by IIT, Kharagpur.

Micronutrient deficiency among the population in India is well documented. Iron deficiency affects about 50 per cent of children and women of childbearing age among poorer sections of the society in the developing world. WHO recognises food fortification as one of the most cost-effective strategy, that has shown to lower the incidence of micronutrient deficiencies and improve the health status of a large proportion of the population(s) across the globe. The policymakers have taken a considerate decision to promote food fortification as a part of the overall strategy to eliminate micronutrient malnutrition. Fortification of staples is strongly recommended in the National Nutrition Policy and National Nutrition Mission.

St. Johns Research Institute (SJRI) will be carrying out home-based study to scientifically evaluate the long-term efficacy (two years) of daily consumption of indigenously developed extruded micronutrient fortified rice in improving iron stores as the main outcome in school going children (6-12 years). The study will be carried out with KHPT as the implementing partner and the technology for manufacturing of Fortified Rice Kernel premix and blended micronutrient fortified rice will be provided by IIT, Kharagpur. The study is funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India (DBT), India and would be implemented in the Koppal district of Karnataka.

The ethical approval is obtained from the Institutional Ethical Review Board of St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore and the Technical Advisory Committee, Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Govt. of Karnataka. The study protocol has also been submitted to the Clinical trials registry of India for registration.