Amingaon: A pioneering pilot program aimed at combating child malnutrition by incorporating nutrient-dense small fish powder into children’s diets has shown promising results in Kamrup District, Assam. Launched during the Poshan Maah celebration in September 2023, the six-month initiative has significantly reduced underweight and severe stunting conditions among children, while also improving their Body Mass Index (BMI).
The project, titled ‘Pilot cum Scaling: Inclusion of Nutrient-Dense Small Fish Powder in Diets among Pre-School Children of Anganwadi Centres and LP School Children through a Partnership Approach at Bongaon Block under Chaygaon LAC in Kamrup District of Assam,’ released its findings on August 8, highlighting substantial improvements in children’s health.
Spearheaded by the Kamrup District Administration with technical support from WorldFish, a CGIAR research organization, and financial backing from the APART Project of ARIAS Society in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries, Assam, the project has garnered positive outcomes.
Kamrup District Commissioner Keerthi Jalli formally unveiled the findings at a program held at her office chamber of the Integrated District Commissioner’s Office in Amingaon on Friday, alongside Dr. Sanjay Sarma, Fishery Coordinator of the APART Project, ARIAS Society, and Pratul Barman, District Fishery Development Officer, Kamrup.
District Commissioner Jalli expressed satisfaction with the project’s positive impact, noting significant improvements in the nutritional status of the children involved. “The success of this initiative reflects the promise of scaling up such interventions to enhance child nutrition across Assam. The collaboration between WorldFish, local authorities, and various stakeholders showcases a model that could potentially be scaled to other regions facing similar nutritional challenges,” she said.
“Fish is a staple in Assam, widely consumed and rich in essential nutrients. Recognizing its potential to address nutritional deficiencies, the project focused on integrating small fish powder into the diets of pre-school and primary school children in Bongaon Block, Kamrup District. The initiative targeted 55 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) and 43 Lower Primary (LP) Schools, reaching approximately 3,300 children. The children received meals enriched with fish powder thrice weekly, with each serving containing 7 grams for AWCs and 8 grams for LP schools. This is being done for the first time in India,” Jalli added.
The pilot study’s results highlighted significant improvements in children’s nutritional status. Key findings include a reduction in underweight conditions, with the proportion of underweight children in Anganwadi Centres decreasing from 13.79% to 8.33%, and severely underweight conditions dropping from 1.82% to 0.15%. The proportion of severely stunted children decreased from 14.39% to 10.76% in the treatment group compared to the control group. Among LP school children, the average BMI increased from 15.54 to 16.11, the average weight from 23.83 kg to 25.12 kg, and the average height from 122.83 cm to 123.95 cm in the treatment group. These findings underscore the effectiveness of integrating small fish powder into government supplementary nutrition programs, suggesting potential benefits for broader implementation.
To evaluate the program’s impact on children’s nutritional status, comprehensive baseline and endline surveys were conducted, focusing on key anthropometric measurements such as height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight-for-height in both treatment and control groups. Growth monitoring records from AWCs and BMI measurements from LP schools provided valuable data for analyzing the effectiveness of fish supplementation in government nutrition programs for improving nutritional outcomes.
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