Improvement of the Short Stature Index in Areas Affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

The nutritionist of Department of Health of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences stated that regarding the improvement of child care services, especially nutritional care for children in areas affiliated to this university, the short stature index in children has improved dramatically such that this index has reached from 7.6 in 2010 to 4.6 in 2016.

According to WEBDA, Fahimeh Nazeran Pour considered childhood nutrition as very effective in physical and mental health of children. She stated that in addition to physical growth, nutrition has a great impact on the evolutionary process of childhood intelligence and creativity.

Stating that childhood nutrition begins since pregnancy, she said that prevention from birth of low weight babies is among the main objectives of pregnancy control and care, especially in malnourished mothers, in Comprehensive Health Services Centers.

The expert of the Department of Nutrition of Department of Health of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences stated that the Child Nutrition Improvement Supportive Plan is among the plans of the Department of Health of the university which is being implemented jointly with Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation.

She stated that in addition to the screening and identification of malnourished children under 6 years in this plan, supporting food baskets, worth 600 thousand Rials, are distributed monthly among families.

Pointing that 2200 children are now covered by the Child Nutrition Improvement Supportive Plan, she stated that the average cost of this plan per month is 1.3 to 1.4 billion Rials.

Pointing to the distribution of hot food in rural kindergartens as another supportive plan for childhood nutrition, Fahimeh Nazeran Pour stated that bases on this plan, being implemented in partnership with the Social Welfare Organization of the province, a hot meal is distributed daily to 10 thousand children in rural kindergartens affiliated to the university.

The expert of the Department of Nutrition of Department of Health of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences stated that in this plan, the cost assigned to each child per week is 150 thousand Rials, which is funded by the Social Welfare Organization.

According to Nazeran Pour, Monitoring the regulation of food menus in urban nursery schools as well as educating and counselling the families of malnourished children are among the other plans in the area of child health.