NGHIÊN CỨU ĐỊNH TÍNH VỀ HOẠT ĐỘNG DINH DƯỠNG Ở MỘT SỐ XÃ VÙNG MIỀN NÚI PHÍA BẮC VÀ TÂY NGUYÊN VIỆT NAM

Abstract

The National Target Program for Child Malnutrition Prevention has successfully reduced malnutrition in Vietnamese children under 5. Despite this, budget constraints in mountainous areas hinder nutrition activities, leading to slow progress in the Central Highlands and an increase in malnutrition in the northern mountainous region. This study evaluates nutrition interventions in these regions to offer recommendations for improvement and enhance child nutrition. The qualitative study in two surveyed areas indicates significant challenges in community nutrition prevention activities, leading to limited effectiveness. Issues include ineffective health communication, inadequate equipment for regular child measurements, insufficient human resources, and health workers lacking consistent nutrition expertise and training. Additionally, activities for malnourished children are often unimplemented due to resource shortages. To overcome the above difficulties, the study suggests changing intervention strategies to suit the limited situation of human resources and budget, including a number of solutions such as (1) strengthening nutrition communication through websites, social networks with nutritional content suitable to the child-rearing practices of the mothers. (2) Improving the quality of the grassroots health system based on online training, (3) find budget sources or sponsorships to maintain iron supplements for pregnant women, and equipments (scales, rulers) for medical stations as well as nutritional recovery products for malnourished children.