NNW National Nutrition Week Theme, The National Nutrition Week (NNW) is an annual nutrition event of great importance and is observed in the Country from 1 to 7 September every year. It was conceived by the Food and Nutrition Board of this Ministry in the year 1982 as an annual event.
The basic objective is to intensify awareness generation on the importance of nutrition for health which has an impact on development, productivity, economic growth and ultimately National development.
The theme of the National Nutrition Week for 2017 is “Optimal Infant & Young Child Feeding Practices: Better Child Health”.
Nutrition is an issue of survival, health, and development for current and succeeding generations. Children born underweight have impaired immune function and increased risk of diseases such. as diabetes and heart diseases in their later life. Malnourished children tend to have lower IQ and impaired cognitive ability, thus affecting their school performance and then productivity in their later life. It has to be realized that the nutritional health in all age groups represents a National economic asset.
As you are aware, improving the nutritional status of the population is imperative for National Development. Under-nutrition in young children continues to be a major public health problem in India.
The NFHS-4 survey has not shown encouraging improvement in nutritional status, especially among women and children. As per NFHS-4, the level of underweight has decreased by 6.8% and stunting by 9.6%, the levels of wasting have increased from 19.8% to 21% and the level of anemia has decreased by 11% as compared to NFHS-3 figures.
National Nutrition Mission Celebrations
The government of India has accorded high priority to the issue of nutrition, especially among Pregnant Women & Lactating Mothers. Although the level of malnutrition has slightly decreased as per the NFHS-4 survey, the decline is not sufficient to eradicate the menace of malnutrition in a time-bound manner.
Malnutrition is a multi-faceted problem. The important determinants are inadequate food, level of poverty leading to low purchasing power, poor socio-economic status of women, female illiteracy, high rate of population growth and low access of the population to health education, safe drinking water, environmental, sanitation, hygiene, and other social services.
Key reasons for malnutrition set in early life are early marriage, faulty and sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices, childhood illnesses, and low birth weight. The nutritional status of the population is the outcome of a complex and interrelated set of factors and cannot be improved by the efforts of a single sector alone. Therefore, it needs a multi-pronged approach.
Malnutrition is not to be viewed merely as an offshoot of poverty having adverse effects on the health and development of individuals but as a National problem that results in loss of productivity and economic backwardness. Time has come to create a movement so as to improve nutrition at the individual level.
Thus, a series of convergent and well-coordinated actions in different sectors are required to be undertaken in a mission mode approach to address this gigantic problem of malnutrition.
The Food and Nutrition Board of this Ministry, through its 43 Community Food and Nutrition Extension Units (CFNEUs) located in 30 States/UTs, will coordinate with concerned Department of State /UT Governments, National Institutions, NGOs and organize State/UT level Workshops, Orientation Training of Fields Functionaries, Awareness Generation Camps, Community meetings during the week on the specified theme.
Day-wise activities
Day-wise activities to be organized during National Nutrition Week 1-7th September 2017.
| S.No. | Activity | Level | Target Group & No. |
| DayI | One day workshop: with the objective to sensitize and capacity building of State/District Level Officers on the importance of nutrition for better health. | State level | Directors, ICDS, Projects Officer CDPOs (ICDS), Medical Officers & Principals of Schools, etc. (50). |
| DayII | Lecture Cum Demonstration on low-cost Nutritious Recipes. Competition on the preparation of nutritious recipes. | District level | School Teachers,
Anganwadi Workers
and Helper (ICDS),
Village Women and Mahila Samities (75) |
| DayIII | Weight Management and its
importance through Body Mass Index(BMI) | Block-level School | Adolescent Boys and Girls (100) |
| Day IV | Mini-Exhibition on Nutrition displaying low cost nutritious diets for different age groups.Quiz competition on Nutrition. | District Level | District Level officers and students, ICDS functionaries, men, women, and children. |
| Day V | Puppet show/skits dance and drama with the help of song and drama convening message on nutrition, | Village Level. | Anganwadi Workers and Helper, Children, adolescent, and parents (100) |
| Day VI | Films, slide shows, audio-video spots, slogans, nutrition rally, etc. | Village level. | ICDS functionaries and beneficiaries (250) |
| DayVII | Sum up and preparation of the digital report of the activities along with photographs. | – | – |
It is a felt need to mobilize the State,/ UT machinery to organize special programs for promoting the nutrition of the children in the State/UT. I shall be grateful if you could issue appropriate instructions to the key sectors like Health & Family Welfare, Women & Child Development, School Education, Rural Development, Panchayat Raj, Food Safety and Standards Authority, Agriculture & Allied Sectors, etc., for rendering their assistance and co-operation in promoting ‘Nutrition’.
We would request the State/UT Governments to initiate appropriate action as per the enclosed calendar of events during the week and send a short report along with the action photographs for our reference/record.
NNW National Nutrition Week Theme, Day-wise Activities, Competitions, Exhibitions