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NewsMicronutrient Supplement: Stakeholders Urge Media to create Awareness on Maternal Nutrition

Micronutrient Supplement: Stakeholders Urge Media to create Awareness on Maternal Nutrition

Micronutrient Supplement: Stakeholders Urge Media to create Awareness on Maternal Nutrition

By: Femi Mustapha

The Media has been tasked to create the relevant awareness and enabling environment to ensure the speedy switch from Iron Frolic Acid (IFAs) to Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) in fighting the growing faltering anemia, and multiple micronutrient deficiencies among women.

This was one of the results of a Media dialogue in Promoting Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS) for maternal-infant young child nutrition (MIYCN) organized by FHI/360 Alive & Thrive in Kaduna today

The dialogue was part of key mandates to strengthen local capacity towards MIYCN interventions by government and communities and enhance the coverage and visibility of maternal health through the promotion of Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS).

Speaking at the engagement, the SBC technical advisor of Alive and Thrive, Dr. Auwalu Kawu, opined that the dialogue is to provide media practitioners with the tools and knowledge necessary to effectively cover and advocate for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS), a critical intervention for improving maternal and child health across Country.

He explained that Multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS) containing 15 essential vitamins and minerals and
are a safe and effective way to improve the diets and nutritional status of pregnant women

He explained that in Most communities special food is given to pregnant and lactating mothers to stimulate milk production and enhance its quality
Cultural preferences for certain staple foods mean that women’s diets tend to be high in carbohydrates with limited consumption of other nutrient-rich foods.

Dr Auwalu stressed that eating well’ in pregnancy typically means increasing intake of routinely consumed foods, namely rice, yam, and cassava base as opposed to seeking foods with a higher protein and micronutrient content, such as meat, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.

According to him, anemia was often attributed to a poor diet and hard work; while the majority of women had heard of iron and folic acid and other “micronutrients”, only a few of them were unable to mention any examples of micronutrients they know.
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“Poor knowledge on optimal diets for pregnant mothers, fatigue, not having money to buy food, not having different foods at home, lack of support, and difficulty remembering to eat more.

“IFA supplementation has been widely used to combat iron deficiency and anemia during pregnancy in Nigeria. It has significantly contributed to reducing maternal anemia and improving birth outcomes.

“However, IFA only addresses iron and folic acid deficiencies, leaving out other essential nutrients, pregnant women need a broader range of vitamins and minerals for optimal health, which IFA does not provide.

“MMS provides 15 essential vitamins and minerals for both mother and baby, MMS reduces the risk of anemia, low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirth more effectively than IFA.

“MMS Provides broader nutritional support, including vitamins A, C, D, zinc, calcium, and more, to improve cognitive development in children and reduce neonatal mortality.

” It is cost-effective in the long term with significant reductions in adverse pregnancy outcomes, newsworthy, one-off occurrences or activities organized to raise awareness about MMS (Multiple Micronutrient Supplements), often from events such community
outreach, health fairs, or press conferences.

Dr. Auwalu disclosed Media Behavior change messages and communications need to target and aim at influencing long-term behavior, provide detailed information about MMS benefits, usage, and health outcomes, and persuade, Motivate, and encourage pregnant women and their families.

“To adopt new behaviors, such as regularly taking MMS during pregnancy, address barriers, discuss challenges such as myths, misconceptions, and access issues and offer solutions or alternatives to overcome them, sustain change, and Reinforce the importance of ongoing use of MMS for improved maternal and child health.”

The objectives of the engagement include increasing awareness to reach a wider audience to inform about the
importance of MMS for pregnant women,to improve Knowledge and Provide factual and clear information on the benefits of MMS and its impact on maternal and child health and change attitudes to Address misconceptions and promote a positive outlook on MMS among pregnant women and their families.

Speaking earlier, the Kaduna State coordinator of civil-society scaling up nutrition in Nigeria CS-SUNN, Miss Jessica Bathelome, thanked Alive and Thrive for bringing the media together to have an open-mind discussion on MMS, especially in the scaling up the maternal infant and young child nutrition MIYCN via the multiple micronutrient supplements.

She urges the media to participate in the dialogue as they are the agents that will create the enabling environment for micronutrient supplementation.

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