- Iron and folic acid tablets taken by all pregnant women;
- Regular consumption of iodized salt in all families.
To achieve this, three (3) strategies, the following are planned: (i) nutritional surveillance, to
identify and provide appropriate solutions, (ii) social communication at the local level for the
development of an acceptable growth of young children: it will put families at the heart of the
process of information / decision on the nutritional status of their children, in conjunction
with stakeholders; (iii) the overall approach to growth and development of children:
promoting healthy growth through the media and enhance the quality and efficiency of health
care services.
Finally, after achieving a national consensus with the adoption of the Essential Package of
nutrition interventions, Congo carried out in 2009, the adoption of the National Nutrition
Policy and the National Protocol for tackling malnutrition. These have made it possible to
organise in 2009, the community management of malnutrition at the 5 CSS level. These
progresses have been accompanied by the promotion of good nutrition and health practices
on the basis of a national strategy to empower households and communities by involving
religious groups, NGOs, communities and the media.
Nutritional status
The nutritional status of children has been reviewed by DCAT-2012 through three indicators:
i.
ii.
iii.
Ration Size for Age that provides information on chronic malnutrition;
Ration for Age for Weight for acute malnutrition;
Ration weight for size that can identify cases of underweight.
Table 1 3: Percentage of children under 5 years considered malnourished by the 3
anthropometric indices measure of nutritional status.
Anthropometric
index
Height for Age
Weight for
Height
Weight for Age
All
Urban
Rural
Percentage below -3 SD
Percentage below -2 SD
Percentage below -3 SD
8.0
24.4
1.5
5.9
20.3
1.5
11.0
30.4
1.6
Percentage below -2 SD
5.9
6.0
5.8
Percentage below +2 SD
3.3
3.6
2.9
2.4
11.6
1.2
1.7
8.9
1.4
3.4
15.5
1.0
Percentage below -3 SD
Percentage above - 2 SD
Percentage above + 2 SD
Source: DCAT 2012
Regarding the ration Height for Age, the results show that almost a quarter (24%) of children
under five years show growth retardation: 16% in the moderate form and 8% in the severe
form. These proportions are much higher than what we would expect to find in a healthy and
well fed population.
The ration Weight for Age indicates that 12% of children under five are underweight, 9% in
the moderate form and 2% in the severe form. Once again, the situation remains worrying,
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