Unit 7: Nutrition Surveillance

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 Session objectives

Students will be able to:

• Define surveillance
• Mention methods and types of surveillance
• Describe the difference between GMP & NS

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 Surveillance
• The concept of nutrition surveillance was first
introduced in Thailand in 1977.
• Surveillance
• Is the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, and
interpretation of health data
• Essential to the planning, implementation, and
evaluation of public health practice
• Closely integrated with the timely dissemination
of these data to those who need to know so that
action can be taken

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 Nutritional surveillance
• Is a system organized to monitor the food and
nutrition situation of a country or region within a
country on a continuous and regular basis.
• Is a set of activities to assemble information to assist
in policy and program decisions to influence the
nutritional status of the population.
• It usually involves the regular and timely collection,
analysis and reporting of nutrition relevant data.

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 Cont…
• Generally, nutrition surveillance is data for action.
• Collection of nutrition data without sharing and using it
is NOT nutrition surveillance.
• If no plan to take action, no need to waste time and
other resources doing nutrition surveillance.
• If there is need to take action, but need data to do so,
consider surveillance as one of the data collection
methods available.
• Surveillance can often produce information which is
more timely than information gathered by other
methods such as surveys.
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 Nutrition Surveillance information must be
– Community (population) based
– Decision and action oriented
– Sensitive
– Accurate
– Relevant
– Timely
– Readily accessible
– communicated effectively

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 Methods of acquiring data in Nutrition Surveillance

1. Passive surveillance
• Often gathers disease data from all potential reporting
health personnel.
• Data are obtained from the ongoing programs and
• It does not acquire too much in terms of cost, time and
personnel.
• Information obtained is less reliable and less relevant
to the needs of the program

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 Cont…
2.Active surveillance:-
• Requires substantially more time and resources and is
therefore less commonly used in emergencies.
• Information obtained is more reliable and relevant to the
needs of the program.
• It is often used if an outbreak has begun or is suspected
to keep close track of the number of cases.
• Community health workers may be asked to do active
case finding in the community in order to detect those
patients who may not come to health facilities for
treatment.
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 Cont…
3. Sentinel surveillance
• Selects, either randomly or intentionally, a small group
of health workers from whom to gather data.
• Do not attempting to gather surveillance data from all
health care workers.
• Requires more time and resources, but can often produce
more detailed data on cases of illness.
• It may be the best type of surveillance if more intensive
investigation of each case is necessary.

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 Basic steps in carrying out nutritional surveillance
Scope Assessment Implementation
1. Data 1. Data needed to generate 1. Data collection action
information
2. Information 2. Information needed to 2. Data analysis, the
aid in decision making transformation to
information
3. Decision 3. Potential decisions 3. Decisions made based on
regarding policies and information
interventions
4. Intervention 4. Proposed polices and 4. Intervention enacted
intervention strategies based on decision
5. Impact 5. Problem identification 5. Actual impact
including desired impact of
action taken
If any of these steps is break down or is unavailable, you will not have usable information
with which to take the appropriate (and sometimes necessary) public health action.
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 Micronutrient indicators commonly collected in
surveillance systems
• Iodine deficiency disorder
– Indicators
• Clinical signs (goiter and cretinism)
• Urinary assays
• Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA)
– Indicators
• Clinical signs (Pallor, Tiredness, Breathlessness,
Headaches)
• Hemoglobin

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 Cont…
• Vitamin A deficiency disorder (VADD)
• Indicators
– Clinical signs
• Night blindness
• Bitot’s spot
• Corneal xerosis
• Keratomalacia /corneal necrosis
• Blood assays
• Clinical signs are monitored in both stable contexts
and emergencies
• Children under five are usually monitored
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Difference between growth monitoring program and
nutritional surveillance

Growth monitoring Nutritional surveillance

1. Aims at preserving normal 1. Aims at detecting under
growth nutrition
2. Action based on weight changes 2. Concentrates on nutritional
in individuals status of groups
3. Educational 3. Diagnostic
4. Response: home intervention 4. Response: nutritional
until normal growth resumes rehabilitation until normal
5. Monitors growth of all nutritional status is established
individuals children in the 5. Nutritional status of a
country representative sample
6. Weights cards with simple 6. Precise record with emphasis on
emphasis on growth nutritional status
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14
 Thank You !!!
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