Improving nutrition - For the future of children

Caring for and improving the nutritional quality of children has always been one of the important tasks of grassroots health work, especially in mountainous communes and areas inhabited by ethnic minorities. In Lam Vy commune, in recent years, thanks to the synchronized implementation of communication, counseling, and nutritional guidance activities, the situation of malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies in children has gradually improved...

Examination and nutritional counseling for pregnant mothers at Lam Vy Commune Health Station.

Lam Vy is a mountainous commune with over 7,700 inhabitants, mostly ethnic minorities. Previously, due to difficult economic conditions, traditional living habits, and limited access to information, the rate of malnourished children, especially those with stunted growth, remained high compared to the provincial average.

Recognizing this issue, the Lam Vy Commune Health Station has identified communication and nutritional counseling as a crucial "key" to changing childcare behaviors in the community. Instead of just general propaganda, the content is tailored to the specific conditions of people in mountainous areas, focusing on guiding them in choosing locally available foods and simple yet nutritious food preparation methods.

Thematic nutrition awareness sessions are regularly held at health stations and village cultural centers, with close coordination from associations, organizations, and village health workers.

Beyond focused awareness campaigns, commune and village health workers also go door-to-door to provide direct consultations to families with children under 5 years old. Monthly monitoring of children's growth helps detect malnutrition early, allowing for timely intervention.

According to statistics from 2025, 100% of children under 5 years old in Lam Vy commune were weighed and measured, and their growth was monitored regularly. Of these, 61 children were underweight (14.5%), 73 children were stunted (17.3%), and 8 children were wasting (1.9%). Notably, this rate decreased by 0.2-0.4% compared to previous years, demonstrating the initial effectiveness of local nutritional intervention programs.

Health workers provide nutritional advice at home to residents of Lam Vy commune.

One of the highlights was the implementation of a nutritional care model during the "first 1,000 days" of a child's life. The Lam Vy Commune Health Station organized 30 health care counseling sessions for pregnant women and mothers with children under 2 years old, attracting approximately 150 participants.

Lam Vy not only focuses on children under 5 years old but also emphasizes improving the nutritional quality for school-aged children. At preschools and primary schools in the area, nutrition education is flexibly integrated into lessons and extracurricular activities. School health staff collaborate with teachers to guide students on healthy eating habits, diverse food choices, and food safety and hygiene. The school also works with parents to develop menus suitable for the developmental needs of each age group, focusing on school lunches and supplementary meals.

To maintain and enhance the achieved effectiveness, Lam Vy commune continues to implement many solutions, such as: increasing the frequency of communication in villages, providing training to improve the capacity of village health workers and child protection officers; mobilizing the participation of mass organizations in community nutrition care...

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/y-te/202512/nang-cao-duong-chat-vi-tuong-lai-tre-em-8ca7782/