This lecture covers the principle and methods of nutritional assessment and education. Also, the major nutritional program in India.

1. Dr. Rajeev Kumar
M.S.W., (TISS, Mumbai), M.Phil., (CIP, Ranchi), U.G.C- J.R.F.,
Ph.D., (IIT Kharagpur)

2. Assessment:
 At first, observe and ask questions to learn about
culture and food habits of the people and what
foods are available.
Enable realization
 Help people to see that good nutrition is
important for them.
 Communication
 Find out the local words so that there will be
good communication.
Mutual discussion
 Always encourage questions and discussion to
clear doubts.

3. Educational modules
 Link your teaching on nutrition with MCH activities
and with other health education method.
Monitoring and evaluation
 Follow up and find out the families are making the
needed changes in food practices. Use the
information to modify your teaching.
Feasibility
 Do not teach people things that are not possible for
them to do, not about foods they cannot afford or
cannot get.
Use of Audio-visual media
 Teach also with nutrition posture, flip chart, role play
etc.

4.  Step 1: Identification of the problem to be
tackled:-
 Step 2: Discussion with community member
to assess:-
 Step 3: Assessment of resources
for nutrition education
 Step 4: Establishment of educational
objectives
 Step 5: Development of a detailed plan of
action:-

5.  The identification of problem of interest can be
explored considering the following question___
 What are the age and gender distribution of the
community population of interest?
 What are the rates of the morbidity and
mortality in that area?
 What illnesses are most common and what
causes them?
 How do attitude and behavior affect this illness
and the spread of disease?
 Who are the most ‘at risk’ and which are the
target groups for health and nutrition education?
 What type of health care facilities are available?

6.  Knowledge, attitude, and practices.
 The key person in the group who should
make the behavior change i.-e.-target group.
 Influence of community leaders.

7.  In the next step, the nutrition educator’s job is
to assess vulnerable resources which may be
money, time, man power, facilities required to
carry out the programme.
 The human or man power resource include
VHGs, local leaders, school teacher and child,
AWW.

8.  The next step is to establish the educational
objectives.
 An educational objective must always be started
in term of action to be carried out.
 The main objective of nutritional education is to
bring about a positive change in health behavior
 and upliftment of health and nutritional status
of the target group.

9.  The final step in planning a nutrition
education programme is to develop the
detailed plan of action.
 This can be done by answering the
following question__
 What do we need to communicate?
 Whom should we communicate with?
 Who will communicate- a nutritionist, a
health worker etc.?
 What will be the channel of education?
 How will be communicating? What tool and
techniques will be used?

10.  Increase the nutrition knowledge
and awareness of the public of
policy makers
 Promoting desirable food
behaviors and nutritional
practices
 Increase the diversity and
quantity of family food supplies

11.  It will not work in the situation of severe
resource constraints.
 Ex- home gardens in drought/prone areas is
incorporated if facilities for irrigation do not
exist.
 To main weakness in the evaluation of nutrition
education programme is that often quantitative
changes are not assessed.
 The vulnerable group may not be among the
groups to whom the messages are directed.
 Different perception may result from lack of
information in the community or from widely
held cultural beliefs.

22.  Meal should be supplement and not a
substitute to the home diet.
 Meal should supply at least one-third of the
total energy requirement, and half of the
protein need.
 The cost of meal should be reasonably low.
 Should be prepared easily, no complicated
process.
 Locally food preferably
 Menu should be changed regularly

23. TAPF commonly known as The Akshaya Patra
Foundation is a non profit
organisation in India that runs school lunch
programme across India. The organisation was
established in 2000.
Impact of TAFP:
 Increased enrolment
 Increased attendance
 Increased concentration
 Improved socialisation
 Addressed malnutrition

28.  It was launched in 1970 for the benefit of
children in age group 3-6 years in rural areas.
 It is sponsored by Indian council of child
welfare organization.
 It provide primary education and food
supplement.

30.  It is component of national blindness control
programme.
 To administer a single massive dose of an oily
preparation of vitamin A orally to pre-school
children in community in every six months.
 Through peripheral health workers
 It was launched in 1970, on the base of
technology developed by National Institute of
Nutrition, Hyderabad

34.  World Food Programme is the UN agency focused
on hunger alleviation and food security.
 Globally, it responds to emergencies making sure
food reaches where it is needed, especially in
times of civil strife and natural disasters.
 In India, WFP has moved from providing direct
food aid to providing technical assistance and
capacity building services to the Government of
India.
 WFP is focusing on enabling the country’s food-
based social safety nets to function more
efficiently and effectively in providing food to
their target population.

35.  United Nations International Children’s Emergency
Fund (UNICEF),
 the priority groups members include the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO),
 International Fund for Agricultural Development
(IFAD),
 International Labour Organization (ILO),
 International Organization for Migration (IOM),
 United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women (UN Women),
 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),
 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
 and World Food Programme (WFP).