| Project Detail |
Project Name
Child and Adolescent Nutrition: Challenges and Impact of Public Interventions
Project Number
57178-001
Country / Economy
Regional
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Pakistan
Project Status
Active
The technical assistance (TA) will support the (i) preparation of studies to inform policies on child and adolescent nutrition in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan, and (ii) conduct of capacity building activities for government officials and local researchers in aforementioned ADB member countries.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Poor nutrition and health of children and adolescents remain a major development challenge for ADBs developing member countries. High degree of stunting persists, especially in Bangladesh (26.4%), Indonesia (31%), and Pakistan (34%) and micronutrient deficiency is common. In 2011, about 86% of pre-school aged children in Pakistan and 52% in Bangladesh had at least an iron, zinc, or vitamin A deficiency. There is a growing concern on the deteriorating nutrition and health status among DMCs due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the food price inflation in recent years, and short-term damages and long-term changes on food systems due to climate change.
On 6 August 2018, ADB approved the knowledge and support TA on the Impact of Adolescent Nutrition Support on Development Outcomes to the Government of Indonesia amounting to US$2,000,000 funded by the Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific. The TA produced studies on nutrition issues and interventions in Indonesia and conducted capacity building activities. The proposed TA is the second phase and will build on the outputs achieved by the previous TA and expand the scope of support to include Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan. It will continue to conduct pilot studies to examine cost-effectiveness under different modalities of nutrition interventions, including school meal programs, iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation, and use of fortified food in public assistance programs in the target countries since evidence of cost-effectiveness of these programs is limited. It will also build the capacity of health researchers to enhance knowledge on nutrition and health issues. |
