Anemia

Bangladesh

Facilitator’s Guide to Training Health Workers in Ghana to Measure Haemoglobin and Assess Anaemia with the HemoCue® Hb 301 Device

A health worker calmly uses a Hemocue device on a patient. The patient covers her face with her hand and has a pained look on what we can see of her face. Two friends of hers look on with similar uncomfortable looks.

Measurement of haemoglobin using the HemoCue device in the Tamale Central Health Centre in northern Region of Ghana.

SPRING/Uganda Engages Multi-Sectoral Partners on National Anemia Efforts

SPRING/Uganda conducted key informant interviews with 12 members of Uganda’s National Anemia Working Group (NAWG) on their experiences with cross-sector collaboration and anemia prevention at the national and district levels. The working group members discussed their experiences in developing the National Anemia Prevention and Control Strategy, which prompted discussion on sustaining the working group’s energy after the strategy is finalized.

SPRING and Partners Organize First Ever Parliamentary Forum on Nutrition in Uganda

Office of the Prime Minister, members of the tenth Parliament of Uganda, and partners are organizing an inaugural Parliamentary Forum on Nutrition to educate lawmakers on the state of nutrition in Uganda. USAID implementing partners SPRING, FANTA, Advocacy for Better Health, and Communication for Healthy Communities, along with World Vision Uganda and UNICEF participated in planning for the forum, which will be officially launched in May.

Endline Survey Results of Nutrition Assessment, Counseling, and Support (NACS) Services in Health Facilities Supported by SPRING/Uganda

A health worker takes arm circumference and weight measurements on a 2-3 year old child being held by his mother. The child is making a distressed face.

SPRING, a six-year project (2012 to 2017), is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Healthy Nutrition for Mothers to Promote the Growth and Development of Your Baby

SPRING has developed a booklet for mothers about the 1,000 Day Window of Opportunity, from pregnancy up to the child’s second birthday, the period when life-long physical and cognitive stunting can be prevented with appropriate nutrition. The booklet helps mothers understand how crucial this time is for a child’s growth and development.

Ghana’s Northern Region is Training to Fight Anemia

Anemia remains a severe public health problem in Ghana, with 65.7% of children under five and 42.4% of women in reproductive age (WRA) suffering from anemia, according to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey report (GDHS). The Northern Region is more severely affected, with 82.1% and 47.5%, respectively, of children under five and WRA suffering from anemia.

Delivering Micronutrient Powders in Namutumba District: Exploring Two Distribution Methods in Uganda

SPRING/Uganda supported the Ministry of Health to roll out a micronutrient powders (MNP) pilot project in Namutumba District. Namutumba is one of eight districts that are characterized with high incidence of micronutrient deficiencies.

SPRING/Uganda Partners with Feed the Future’s Commodity Production and Marketing Activity

SPRING/Uganda and Feed the Future’s Commodity Production and Marketing (CPM) activity trained representatives from 22 large- and medium-scale maize millers in the country on good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and how to fortify their maize flour.

Reviewing Hemoglobin Thresholds for the Determination of Anaemia

The current cut-offs for the determination of anemia were established in 1968 and have had minimal adjustments since. These thresholds have crucial implications for clinical and public health practice, affecting individual-level treatment protocols and our population prevalence data for local, national and global monitoring of anaemia. The World Health Organization (WHO) is in the process of reviewing its global guidelines for haemoglobin thresholds used to define anaemia at the individual and population level.