The Adolescent Girls’ Anaemia Control Programme: a decade of programming experience to break the inter-generational cycle of malnutrition in India

Abstract

Objective: To document the scale-up of India's Adolescent Girls' Anaemia Control Programme following a knowledge-centred framework for scaling up nutrition interventions and to identify the critical elements of and lessons learned from a decade of programme experience for the control of anaemia in adolescent girls. Design: We reviewed all articles, programme and project reports, and baseline and endline assessments published between 1995 and 2012 regarding the control of anaemia through intermittent iron and folic acid supplementation; key programme specialists and managers were interviewed to complete or verify information wherever needed. Setting: India.

Anemia in Adolescence

“…3 In India, various studies conducted in different regions show the prevalence of anemia as follows: Madhya Pradesh 52.5%, Gujarat 37%, Uttar Pradesh 56.3%, Andhra Pradesh 77.73%, Tamil Nadu 58.4%, Maharashtra 85.4%, Shimla 21.5%, Karnataka 41.5%.…”

A Study of Impact of Nutrition on Targeted Height among Adolescent Girls

“…Adolescent girls are the future generation of any country and their nutritionalneeds are critical for the well being of society 1 .The high rate ofmalnutrition in girls not only contributes to increased morbidity and mortalityassociated with pregnancy and delivery,but also to increased risk of deliveringlow birthweight babies. This leads to the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition 2 . Adolescence is a time of rapid physical growth, second only to the first year after birth, during which, children gain up to 50% of their adult weight and skeletal mass and more than 20% of their adult height which marks the end of growth in height and the attainment of adult height.…”

Mid-day Meal Programme and Adolescent Undernutrition- an Epidemiological Study in Hyderabad, India

“…Studies project malnutrition among adolescent girls as the prime cause for high burden of anemia among adolescent girls (around 56%) which further translates itself to High maternal mortality, and high incidence of low birth weight babies born to these anemic mothers. [5,6] Malnutrition is considered as a risk factor increasing the risk of an individual to various communicable diseases like TB and Non-communicable diseases like CVD. [7] Further research shows that food insecurity among adolescents is associated with lower developmental assets thereby effecting the overall development.…”