Early Childhood Nutrition
Preventing malnutrition in infants and young children
Context
Young children under five years of age in Tanzania are facing a triple burden of malnutrition, spanning from undernutrition (stunting, wasting), micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. These different forms of malnutrition often have negative consequences on health, physical and cognitive growth, intellectual performance, earning potential and perpetuation of the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
Despite notable progress over the years, childhood stunting has remained high at 30 per cent with over 3 million stunted children across the country. The prevalence of anaemia among children under five years also remains stubbornly high at 59 per cent. Moreover, 7 per cent of babies are born with low birth weight, weighing less than 2.5kg. Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices have also remained sub-optimal. Only 70 per cent of children are initiated with breastfeeding within the first hour of birth while only 64 per cent are exclusively breastfed. Complementary feeding practices are also observed to be minimal, with only 8 per cent of children aged 6 – 23 months consuming a minimum acceptable diet while only 33 per cent of children aged 6-23 months are given adequate number of meals each day, and only 19 per cent are given a diet with adequate diversity.
Where this is most noticeable is the dietary deprivation in early childhood, where more than 2.4 million (81 per cent) children 6-23 months are living in child food poverty and consuming less than 5 food groups a day. Most concerning is that nearly one in four children 6-23 months (22 per cent) are living in the severest form of child food poverty, meaning that 630,000 children are consuming 0 to 2 food groups a day.
Meeting children’s nutrient needs in early life can be challenging, and many parents face barriers to securing enough nutritious, safe, affordable and age-appropriate food for their children. These challenges are even greater during conflicts, disasters and other humanitarian crises. As such, UNICEF’s early childhood nutrition programmes in Tanzania aim to prevent all forms of malnutrition by:
Protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding
UNICEF strengthens breastfeeding counselling and support, and advocates for maternity protection and other protective policies. To protect mothers and babies from marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding, UNICEF works to strengthen national legislation on the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes and related World Health Assembly resolutions.
Improving first foods and feeding practices for infants and young children
UNICEF promotes access to nutritious, safe and affordable foods for children aged 6–23 months. Where nutritious foods are out of reach, UNICEF supports the use of multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs) and fortified foods to improve the quality of children’s diets. We work with the government to better regulate the labelling and marketing of commercially produced foods and beverages for children, and support caregivers to improve feeding practices through counselling and social and behaviour change communication.
Improving foods and feeding practices for children aged 3–5 years
UNICEF promotes access to nutritious, safe and affordable foods and healthy food environments for children in homes, day care, and early childhood development (ECDs) centres. Where nutritious diets are out of reach, we support the use of MNPs and fortified foods to improve the nutrient quality of children’s diets.
Providing micronutrient supplementation and deworming
UNICEF helps deliver vitamin A supplementation and deworming prophylaxis to children under 5 in areas where nutrient-poor diets prevail, and where micronutrient deficiencies are common. We help align these services with global and national guidelines, and work with the government to provide micronutrient supplementation as part of routine health services for children.
Promoting healthy food environments
UNICEF helps the government to adopt policies that foster healthy food environments, improve the availability and affordability of nutritious foods, and safeguard children from consuming unhealthy foods and beverages. This includes ensuring that such policies are free from commercial influence.
Scaling up the prevention, early detection, and treatment of child wasting at both health facility and community levels.
UNICEF works with partners to develop evidence-based guidelines and policies for identifying and managing wasting, ensuring alignment with global standards. Through training and mentorship, we strengthen the skills of facility- and community-based health workers to improve screening, counselling and treatment of children with severe wasting. UNICEF supports the integration of severe wasting treatment within routine primary health care services, increasing the availability of life-saving care for vulnerable children. Additionally, we work with government to enhance the quality, affordability and distribution of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) and other essential nutrition supplies, ensuring they reach the children who need them most. UNICEF continues to engage with the government to encourage the local production of RUTF - according to international quality standards - to make treatment for severe wasting more cost-effective and accessible for national health systems.
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