Journal of Clinical Nutrition & Dietetics

Enhancing nutrition outcomes for acutely malnourished children through mobile technology

World Congress on Nutrition and Dietetics
June 18-19, 2018 Paris, France

Leah Ng�aari

University of Nairobi, Kenya

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Nutr Diet

DOI: 10.4172/2472-1921-C1-003

Abstract

Malnutrition remains a major threat to the survival, growth and development of children in Kenya. Poor nutrition in infancy and early childhood increases the risk of infant child morbidity and mortality, diminished cognitive and physical development marked by poor performance in school. Acute malnutrition often results from an immediate or catastrophic event such as conflict, natural disaster, seasonal food shortage, or the death of a caregiver. It is accompanied by high mortality risk. In Kenya, more than half a million children are currently affected by food insecurity. According to the 2014, Kenya demographic and health survey (KDHS), 26% of children under the age of 5 in Kenya are stunted, 11% are underweight, and 4% are wasted. Regional disparities in nutrition indicators in Kenya are significant, with malnutrition being inversely proportional to household wealth. Medic Mobile builds mobile and web tools for health workers, and has leveraged ubiquitous basic phones in Samburu County, Northern Kenya to support community health workers (CHWs) and nutritionists in a bid to address acute malnutrition. Medic Mobile toolkit has enhanced active case finding, screening and referral at the community level, and improved adherence of treatment protocols among beneficiaries. The project system elements include two components; a nurse-enabled workflow and community-based registration. At the household level, CHWs register children aged 6-59 months with either severe acute malnutrition (SAM) or moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) by sending a registration form to flag any identified case of malnutrition and refers them to the health facility. On the other hand, the nutritionist/nurse registers the referred clients and confirms visits on the web application that triggers a notification message that is sent to the respective CHW. The project outcomes are timely referrals and maintain recovery rates, death and defaulter rates within SPHERE standards.