Nutritious meals for children in mountainous areas: Persistent efforts of Lai Chau health sector

SKĐS - Lai Chau is a mountainous province with a large natural area, many ethnic groups live together. In the middle of remote villages, there are still quiet feet bringing nutritional knowledge to each house.

Lai Chau has more than 82% of its population being ethnic minorities, where the Mong, Dao, Ha Nhi, La Hu... houses are hidden in the mountainsides, and many backward customs and practices still cling to daily life.

In difficult times, the story of nutritional care for women and children becomes a persistent journey, requiring dedication and patience from health workers.

Over the past years, the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and People's Committee of Lai Chau province have considered improving nutrition, especially reducing malnutrition in children under 5 years old, as a key task.

Check the child's weight at the health station.

Nutritional indicators are not just numbers in the health sector, but are integrated into the province's socio -economic development target system. Thanks to that, many major programs such as New Rural Areas, Sustainable Poverty Reduction, Economic Development of Ethnic Minority Areas, etc. are all associated with improving meals and enhancing knowledge of childcare and pregnant women.

This helps nutrition work no longer "stand alone", but become part of the development process.

In the highlands, not every family has internet access, and not every mother can read books and newspapers. Therefore, nutrition communication must "go by foot" and "speak in the local language".

Village health workers and nutrition collaborators are trained in easy-to-understand and approachable communication: pointing to a pot of soup, a bowl of porridge, or a child's hand to illustrate what a nutritious meal looks like.

Major communication activities such as Micronutrient Day, Breastfeeding Week, Nutrition and Development Week, etc. are all organized vividly. Community activities, nutrition clubs, nutrition markets, or cooking practice sessions right at the village cultural house yard help knowledge go straight into life.

A familiar image in many villages: health workers holding a "food square" model, instructing people on how to combine corn, wild vegetables, chicken, beans, etc. to create a balanced meal without spending much money. From here, the "garden - pond - barn - kitchen" model is encouraged to be replicated, helping households create their own source of clean, nutritious food.

Another change in Lai Chau is to promote nutrition communication on social networks. The fanpage of the Department of Health and the Provincial Center for Disease Control regularly updates and posts videos and infographics about the first 1,000 days of life, breastfeeding, non-communicable disease prevention, how to read food labels, etc.

Short, easy-to-understand clips in both Mandarin and ethnic languages ​​have helped many young mothers access modern knowledge right on their phones. In the context of young people in the highlands increasingly using social networks, this new approach helps nutrition "step out of the meeting room", into the lives of each family, improve the quality of human resources, and sow the seeds of sustainable change.

Lai Chau has implemented many continuous training courses for provincial and district officials and hundreds of village health workers. Training content ranges from nutritional care in the first 1,000 days of life, non-communicable disease prevention, nutrition consultation, to the management of acute malnutrition in the community.

In particular, the province prioritizes training cadres from ethnic minorities who understand customs, speak the local language and easily gain trust with the community.

They are the bridge that brings scientific knowledge to every house on the mountainside. From encouraging parents to give their children vitamin A to the sleep of young children. For each vitamin A supplement, medical staff travel dozens of kilometers of dirt roads to remote villages. Thanks to continuous efforts, every year, over 98% of children aged 6-59 months receive vitamin A and complete deworming.

Pregnant women are counseled and given multi-micronutrient tablets with a rate of over 80%. Management of acute malnutrition for children under 6 years old is strictly implemented, helping many children recover promptly, without leaving long-term consequences. At school, teachers are instructed to monitor weight, height, and recognize signs of micronutrient deficiency to coordinate interventions. Along with communication, livelihood support programs from growing beans, sesame, peanuts to small-scale livestock farming help many families have more sources of vegetable protein and fresh food. Training sessions on how to prepare nutritious dishes suitable for each age group help mothers feel more confident when taking care of their children.

Nutrition clubs, childcare consulting rooms, and support groups in Mong and Dao villages have now become new places for women to exchange and share experiences in raising children.

The journey is long but full of hope. Lai Chau, a borderland, prone to landslides in the rainy season and freezing cold in the winter, still has many challenges in nutritional care. However, persistent, scientific and humane steps are helping children in the highlands have more nutritious meals, pregnant women receive better care and the community is increasingly knowledgeable to protect their own health.

From a vitamin A pill, a village communication session, a cooking lesson, to changes in childcare habits – all are contributing to creating healthier, more resilient generations of Lai Chau people.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/bua-an-du-chat-cho-tre-em-vung-cao-no-luc-ben-bi-cua-nganh-y-te-lai-chau-169251118093516623.htm