Low birth weight

Information sheet 3 N4G COMMITMENT TO REDUCE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT

Magnitude of the problem Low birth weignt has been defined by WHO as weight at birth of less than 2,500 grams (2.5 KG) Low birth weight (LBW) affects a considerable number of children in Tanzania and is largely attributed to the poor nutritional status of women of childbearing age and pregnant mothers. According to the TNNS, 2018, the prevalence of underweight among children 0-59 months was 14.6%. Children with low birth weight are predisposed to a higher risk of infant and child mortality, poor health, growth and development. A child who is underweight may be stunted, wasted or both

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR?

Many of the factors associated with low birth weight are being addressed through multiple interventions for improving the nutritional status of women in childbearing age and pregnant mothers. They include:

Micronutrient supplementation Nutrition education for improved dietary intake and diversity Integrated maternal health care services including treatment of malaria and promotion of ITNs, deworming, screening and treatment of anemia etc.

Family planning /SRH services WASH Over the years, low birth weight had shown a decreasing trend from 25.1% (1991-1992) to 13.4% (2014), implying that the interventions being implemented by Government and partners were effective. However, there is a need for continuous improvement of LWB strategies and interventions and their implementation at scale.

Outstanding challenges/bottlenecks There are outstanding risk factors that undermine the nutritional status of women of childbearing age and pregnant mothers. These include factors at the underlying level of the determinants of maternal nutritional status:

Household food insecurity Inadequate caring practices for children and women, and heavy workload especially in the rural areas Lack of formal education Poor WASH situation Inadequate access to a full package of essential quality health services

Way forward The NMNAP II has earmarked reducing low birth weight as one of the key impact indicators.

A package of nutrition specific and nutrition sensitive interventions have been lined up for implementation towards the target of Reducing the prevalence of low birth weight from 6.3% in 2018 to less than 5% by 2026 The interventions involve scaling up of evidence based high impact interventions including micronutrient supplementation to cover adolescents, and nutrition sensitive interventions in key line sectors (health, education, food security, social protection, WASH, and community development) to address the risk The government in collaboration with development partners has planned to mobilize TZS 23.1 billion (USD 10 million) to implement the actions to reduce LBW over 5 years- 2021 to 2026 under the NMNAP II framework.

N4G COMMITMENT

COMMITMENT TO REDUCE LOW BIRTH WEIGHT