USAID Advancing Nutrition develops, curates, packages, and shares multi-sectoral nutrition knowledge to help you stay on top of developments and evidence in global nutrition programming.
Complementary Feeding Diets Made of Local Foods Can Be Optimized, but Additional Interventions Will Be Needed to Meet Iron and Zinc Requirements in 6- to 23-Month-Old Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Publication Date:
Anemia
This systematic review assesses 1) whether macro- and micronutrient requirements of children aged 6–23 months in low- and middle-income countries are met by the consumption of locally available foods (‘‘observed intake’’) and 2) whether nutrient requirements can be met when optimizing the use of local foods, using modeling techniques (‘‘modeled intake’’).
Delaying Iron Therapy until 28 Days after Antimalarial Treatment Is Associated with Greater Iron Incorporation and Equivalent Hematologic Recovery after 56 Days in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Publication Date:
Anemia
This randomized trial compares erythrocyte iron incorporation in 100 children in Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, who started iron supplementation either concurrently with antimalarial treatment or 28 days later.
Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anemia Using Density-Based Fractionation of Red Blood Cells
Publication Date:
Anemia
This article describes a low-cost and rapid method to diagnose iron deficiency anemia using aqueous multiphase systems—thermodynamically stable mixtures of biocompatible polymers and salt that spontaneously form discrete layers having sharp steps in density.
Maternal Malaria and Malnutrition (M3) Initiative, a Pooled Birth Cohort of 13 Pregnancy Studies in Africa and the Western Pacific
Publication Date:
Anemia
The Maternal Malaria and Malnutrition (M3) initiative has pooled data from 13 studies covering 8 countries in Africa and Papua New Guinea (from 1996 to 2015) with the goals of improving the understanding of malaria-nutrition interactions during pregnancy and fostering collaboration between nutritionists and malariologists.
Review of the Evidence Regarding the Use of Antenatal Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Publication Date:
Anemia
This review presents the conclusions of a task force that set out to assess the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes and adverse birth outcomes in low- and middle-income countries; the data from trials comparing multiple-micronutrient supplements that contain iron–folic acid with iron–folic acid supplements alone; the risks of reaching the upper intake levels with multiple-micronutrie
Prediction of Dietary Iron Absorption: An Algorithm for Calculating Absorption and Bioavailability of Dietary Iron
Publication Date:
Anemia
This study presents an algorithm that was developed for predicting the effects of factors known to influence heme- and non-heme-iron absorption from meals and diets.
Why Nutritional Iron Deficiency Persists as a Worldwide Problem
Publication Date:
Anemia
This narrative review highlights the significance of iron deficiency as a worldwide problem. Programmatic and technical obstacles are discussed, and potential solutions for reducing iron deficiency prevalence are offered.
Four Malaria Success Stories: How Malaria Burden was Successfully Reduced in Brazil, Eritrea, India and Vietnam
Publication Date:
Anemia
This report documents the malaria control efforts of Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Vietnam and discusses key factors in the success of these programs, including epidemiological, technical, programmatic, partnership, and financial aspects.
Monitoring Drug Coverage for Preventive Chemotherapy
Publication Date:
Anemia
This WHO manual provides program managers with standardized guidelines for monitoring and reporting of drug coverage for preventive chemotherapy. It includes definitions as well as tools for collecting, analyzing, and controlling data.
Implications of Malaria on Iron Deficiency Control Strategies
Publication Date:
Anemia
This review synthesizes evidence on the links between iron and malaria and explores underlying mechanisms such as a possible mechanistic role of hepcidin in the link between malaria, poor absorption of iron, and anemia. The review also highlights the importance of malaria surveillance and control as necessary components of programs to combat iron deficiency.
Impact of Malaria during Pregnancy on Low Birth Weight in Sub-Saharan Africa
Publication Date:
Anemia
This systematic review synthesizes the evidence from sub-Saharan Africa on the impact of maternal malaria on low birthweight and analyzes the associations between low birthweight and the rate of malaria transmission. The authors estimate that about 100,000 deaths in malaria-endemic regions of Africa could be attributable to low birthweight caused by malaria during pregnancy.
Introducing a New Monitoring Manual for Home Fortification and Strengthening Capacity to Monitor Nutrition Interventions
Publication Date:
Anemia
This communication introduces the Manual for Developing and Implementing Monitoring Systems for Home Fortification Interventions, a comprehensive tool that includes monitoring concepts and frameworks and provides monitoring instruments as well as worksheets.
Stories from the Forefront: Interviews with Social and Behavior Change Communications Media ProfessionalsStories from the Forefront: Interviews with Social and Behavior Change Communications Media Professionals
Publication Date:
Social and Behavior Change and Gender
This report presents stories from top practitioners in social and behavior change media to help guide more effective SBC media productions and implement more sustainable programs. Themes emerged about the effectiveness of human connection and storytelling.
Prevention of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Adolescents: Role of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation
Publication Date:
Anemia
This document presents a brief review of the evidence on weekly iron-folic acid supplementation (WIFS) from the scientific literature. It presents the findings from several developing countries in Asia, Africa, and South America.
Changing the Way We Think About Micronutrient Assessment and Anemia Programming
Publication Date:
Anemia
The Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) project set out to improve the interpretation of iron and vitamin A biomarker results and our understanding of the main risk factors for anemia.
The District Assessment Tool for Anemia (DATA) is a generic toolkit that helps districts assess their current anemia situation. SPRING developed DATA to assist countries in strengthening anemia programming at the district level.
This brief describes country-led efforts to coordinate and implement anemia prevention and control, offering lessons learned to help other countries design the best possible solutions.