2019 was an exciting year for DataDENT with milestones addressing challenges across the nutrition data value chain. Here we revisit our work highlighted through our top blog posts from this past year and look ahead at what is to come in 2020. New Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) nutrition data The DHS Program accepted recommendations for changes to the core…
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The Case of the Missing Data
The Global Nutrition Report (GNR) is one of the most widely used sources of nutrition data. The GNR reports on progress against global nutrition targets in 194 countries. In October 2019, GNR launched updated Country Nutrition Profiles. Note: In May 2020, GNR launched the 2020 report. The list of “no data” countries in the 2020 report matches the list shared in…
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Overview of new nutrition questions in the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) core questionnaires
The Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) Program just released the new DHS model questionnaires for round 8 (2018-2023). We previously shared on the blog how DHS and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) are main sources of nationally-representative maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition data. The four DHS core questionnaires (household, woman, man, and biomarker) will be used globally, and…
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Similar but not the same: The challenge of comparing indicators across nutrition data tools
Nursing mothers wait outside the antenatal unit at Orolodo primary health centre before the start of a family planning visibility parade in Omuaran township in Nigeria’s central state of Kwara. © 2012 Akintunde Akinleye/NURHI, Courtesy of Photoshare High-quality nutrition data is critical for country stakeholders, advocates, funders, and many others to assess needs, measure progress, and ultimately make decisions to…
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The World Health Assembly Global Nutrition Monitoring Framework: Aspiring to track global progress in nutrition
Accelerating nutrition progress through target setting Source: World Health Organization. Global Targets 2025. https://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/ In the wake of the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) became a rallying point for the global nutrition community to accelerate actions towards reducing malnutrition. In 2012, the World Health Assembly (WHA) endorsed six Global Nutrition Targets for 2025. The nutrition targets are…
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Beyond Definition: Attaching meaning to indicators
An interview with Jef Leroy, IFPRI A worker with the partner organization of Save the Children measures a child in the slums of Govandi, Mumbai, India. © 2016 Mayank Soni (Save the Children), Courtesy of Photoshare Stunting, or children assessed as too short for their age, has become a north star indicator for the nutrition community. Many advocates, policy makers,…
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Innovations in Nutrition Measurement: Lessons Learned from Population-Based Household Surveys in Burkina Faso and Kenya
A resident enumerator in Burkina Faso prepares for the third round of data collection for PMA2020, a mobile technology-based survey project that supports routine, rapid-turnaround, high quality data on family planning and other health indicators. ©2016 PMA2020/Shani Turke, Courtesy of Photoshare Countries with high burdens of malnutrition have increased investment in nutrition, but monitoring and evaluation efforts have been hindered…
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Inspiration from the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) community: Core Questions on WASH for Household Surveys
© 2014 Faisal Azim, Courtesy of Photoshare World Water Day 2019’s theme of “Leaving no one behind” focuses on vulnerable populations—including women, children, refugees, and indigenous peoples—that lack access to safe water. This theme is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water (6.1) and adequate and equitable sanitation and…
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Quantifying the nutrition transition among children in low- and middle-income countries
© 2012 Akintunde Akinleye/NURHI, Courtesy of Photoshare Over 25 years ago, Dr. Barry Popkin described a global “nutrition transition” – a shift of diets high in fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats to diets high in sugar, saturated fat, and processed foods [1]. This nutrition transition was an “emerging crisis” for low-income countries and linked to changes in demography, epidemiology, and…
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Malnutrition: a key barrier to women and girls’ empowerment
© 2017 Dr. Mohd. Irfan Ahamad Seyyed, Courtesy of Photoshare March 8th marks International Women’s Day, an annual celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political contributions of women. Since 1911, International Women’s Day has been an official day to measure and celebrate progress towards gender parity. Many individuals and institutions have come to focus on women’s economic and social…