ICMR to conduct Comprehensive Nutritional Survey

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will set up a task force for conducting a national-level Comprehensive Nutritional Survey to understand the micro-nutrient deficiency levels among the people.
"The task force will define the elements and specifics of the Comprehensive Nutritional Survey along with the periodicity, coordination etc. It will be a detailed bio-marker survey to understand the level of micro-nutrient deficiencies.
"Separate task forces will also be constituted to address issues of iron folic, vitamin A and vitamin D supplementation. These task forces will identify the various scientific and operational gaps to further strengthen the existing programmes and chalk out newer interventions," ICMR Director General Soumya Swaminathan said at a press conference here.

Speaking at the National Consultation for addressing Nutrition Challenges, Swaminathan said there was a dire need to have a comprehensive nutritional survey at national level.
Ajay Khera, Deputy Commissioner, Child Health Programme, Health Ministry said, "At present, many of the surveys which are conducted at national level only capture basic nutrition parameters like stunting, anaemia etc. There is a need to conduct a detailed biomarker survey wherein fitness level will also be assessed and dietary survey included."
Khera also underlined the absence of state-run programmes

for combating vitamin D deficiency.
"At present, there is no programme for vitamin D under the Ministry of Health. But the available data and research done by some individual agencies indicate that there is a large number of population both in rural and urban areas who have biochemical vitamin D deficiency.

"However, enough data is not available in India for linking this deficiency with health implications," he said.
As of now, vitamin A supplementation is being provided universally to all children up to 6 years of age. However, many studies indicate that this form of deficiency has declined in many parts of the country. So, there are questions about whether it should be converted into a 'targeted strategy' from a 'universal strategy', Khera explained.
Also, experts said that anaemia was prevalent despite the iron folic acid supplementation programme and stressed on the need to come out with out-of-box strategies to improve the condition.

They also flagged issues like impact evaluation of the existing iron supplementation programme, deworming programme and use of enteric coated IFA tablets etc.
Also, there was a deliberation on iodine deficiency disorders where issues like need for assessing urinary iodine level in community, sub-clinical and neonatal Hypothyroidism, double fortified salt were discussed.