The Lagos State Government on Friday decried increasing rate of malnourishment among women and adolescent girls in the country, even as it distributed food packs to 600 women.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs Oluyemi Kalesanwo spoke at the Nutrition Day Celebration in Egbeda, Alimosho area of Lagos.
She said one major challenge faced by women and adolescent girls in achieving a healthy nutrition was that, they were at greater risk of malnutrition due to the increased nutritional needs associated with menstruation, pregnancy, and lactation.
“This is reflected on the high rates of anemia which affects 33 percent of women reproductive age globally (about 613 million women),” she said.
Kalesanwo, who was represented by the Director, Women Affairs, Mrs. Olufunke Shyllon, stated that the Good Nutrition Programme was organized by WAPA in order to address the problems of food security, promoting habits and activities that would reduce the level of malnutrition status of women in the State.
The permanent secretary said WAPA kicked-started the maiden edition of the world Nutrition day celebration, as part of the plans to alleviate poverty, saying that 2,100 female residents were sensitized on good dietary habits using staple edibles.
Beneficiaries were educated on importance of balanced diets and they all received Nutritional packs at the programme. These food packages were distributed to the vulnerable, indigents , widows and women – focused NGOs across Lagos State
“The Social intervention of state government is crucial at this period, when the death rate of women is increasingly, the United Nations, and civil societies, are clamoring for better ways to eradicate poverty, inadequate food production, inadequate food intake, ignorance and uneven distribution of food, poor food preservation techniques, improper preparation of foods, food restrictions, poor sanitation and develop a set of learning experiences intended to facilitate the professional adoption of eating and other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and welfare.
“The problem of malnourishment amongst women and adolescents cannot be over emphasized; the low consumption of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and calcium, low-fat dairy foods; high consumption of sweetened beverages; and frequent consumption of fast food linked to heart diseases, stroke, cancer and early death,” she stated.
According to her, the increase of food prices had forced many households’ purchasing power to decrease, the composition of their diet worsened, and that the total energy consumption might also decrease.
She said these changes directly affected all targets of Nations Millennium Development Goals, productive employment and hunger sketch.
“Bringing it down to the State level, it is an established fact that, the Public health promotes the welfare of the entire population, ensures its security and protects it from the spread of infectious disease and environmental hazards, which helps to ensure access to safe and quality care to benefit the population.
“I must restate at this juncture that however difficult it is to access healthy and nutritious foods, it is important that we make a conscious effort to prioritize our health and wellbeing,” she said.
Kalesanwo gave the women some simple tips that could help them improve their nutrition, urging them to be committed to making small changes to their diets to improve their health and wellbeing.
The permanent secretary added that “‘Health is wealth’ which means that one’s health is the greatest wealth. Good health means not only the absence of disease in the body but a complete physical, mental, social as well as spiritual well-being of an individual. Remember, good nutrition is essential for good health. By prioritizing our health and wellbeing, we can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.”
Mrs Tinuola Awobaji-Afeniforo, Health Educator, Primary Health Centre, Bariga Local Council Development Area, educated the women on how to eat healthy food in order to maintain good health and keep fit.
However, beneficiaries of the food packs were drawn from Apapa, Shomolu, Lagos Island and Alimosho
