Maternal and Child Health Nutrition

Overview

Keyfacts

Digital Interventions

Additional Resources

Quiz

  • Overview

    Women’s nutrition is crucial for overall well-being and participation in the community. Securing proper nutrition at each phase of the life course of women is fundamental, especially before and during pregnancy and the lactation phase. During these phases, women are vulnerable to nutrition deficiencies. Adequate nutrition for women plays a vital role in shaping children’s health, nutritional status, and growth, and affects developmental outcomes during the 1,000-day window from conception to age 2 and beyond.

    Maternal and Child Health Nutrition focuses on providing enough nutrition during pregnancy, nursing, infancy, and early childhood to ensure good health outcomes. This includes ensuring maternal optimum nutrition during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal period and the nutritional needs of children from birth to five years. Majority of the maternal and child deaths are preventable with timely management by skilled service providers. Prevention of malnutrition plays a crucial role in averting maternal and child deaths. Malnutrition among women can be seen due to many factors such as poor-quality diets, poor nutrition services, poor care practices at individual, household, community, and societal levels, and weak enabling environments. Providing adequate nutrition during these vital periods is critical for lowering morbidity and death rates while also boosting long-term health and growth.

  • At the Global Level (World Health Organization, 2024)

    • Approximately 170 million women are underweight with a Body Mass Index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2.
    • About 30% of women 15–49 years of age, 37% of pregnant women, and 40% of all children aged 6–59 months are living with anemia.
    • Around 7% of women aged 20-49 years in low and middle-income group countries (LMIC) have short stature (<145cm).
    • Annually, 20.5 million babies are born with low birth weight.
    • Globally in 2022, 149 million children under 5 were estimated to be stunted (too short for age), and 45 million were estimated to be wasted (too thin for height).
    • According to the Global Nutrition Report, malnutrition accounts for 45% of all fatalities among children under the age of five.

  • At National Level

    • According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), about 35.5% of children under 5 were stunted, 19.3% were wasted, and 67.1% were anemic.
    • An estimated 36.3% of children under 6 months were not exclusively breastfed. Additionally, 54.1% of children aged 6 to 8 months did not receive solid or semi-solid foods along with breast milk. Furthermore, 88.7% of children aged 6 to 23 months were not receiving a sufficient diet.
    • As per the NFHS-5 report, 55.9% of women did not consume iron-folic acid for 100 days or more during their last pregnancy period.
    • Many pregnant women begin their pregnancy thin approximately 19%, overweight or obese (24%), anemic (57%), or with a combination of these nutritional issues (NFHS-5).
    • A study done by Alive & Thrive in two districts of Uttar Pradesh in December 2017 (baseline) and 2019 (endline) revealed that only 1 in 4 pregnant women took the recommended dose of iron and folic acid (IFA) tablets and around 1 in 10 consumed the recommended dose of calcium tablets. Less than half of all pregnant women consumed five or more food groups in the last 24 hours, though minimum dietary diversity requires women to eat from 5 of the 10 recommended food groups. On average, pregnant women gained approximately 5 kgs during their pregnancy, which is lower than the recommended weight gain of 10-12 kgs.

  • Global Level Interventions

    The table below provides an overview of digital intervention to improve maternal and child health nutrition. It highlights specific applications used in several countries and their features.

    Table 1: Digital intervention to improve maternal and child health nutrition at global level

S. No. Countries Application name Description Features Impact of Application
1. South Africa MomConnect It is developed by the South African National Department of Health initiative that improves maternal health through cell phone technology. 1. Free of cost 

2. Available in all 11 official languages.

3. Helps pregnant women to freely record their pregnancies electronically in the public health system.

4. Pregnant women and new mothers receive free maternal health messaging via SMS or WhatsApp.

5. Helpdesk and Feedback mechanism on the healthcare services they receive.

 1. 5 million mothers registered to this application in over 95% of public facilities.

2. High Antenatal Care attendance.

3. High vaccination coverage.

4. Increased breastfeeding by 17% among first-time moms and 10% among young moms.

5. MomConnect increases family planning use by 6% amongst moms with previous pregnancies.
2. Tanzania JamboMama JamboMama is an interactive mobile application designed to connect pregnant women with essential maternal-child healthcare services.

JamboMama! is a project developed by SAHFA, Smart Access To Health for All, a non-profit association. 

 1. Pregnancy Surveillance 

2. Gives alerts for antenatal check-ups 

3. Question-answer platform

4.  Regular updates of critical data that help the identification and prevention of significant risks to both mother and child.

 N/A 
3.  Kenya PROMPTS (Promoting Mothers through Pregnancy and Postpartum) PROMPTS is a two-way AI-based SMS-based application to improve MNCH services. The main goal is to reduce maternal and newborn deaths caused by delays in seeking health care. 1. Reminders for appointments for antenatal care, postnatal care, and infant immunization.

2. Follow-up records

3. Free of cost

4. Provides education on breastfeeding, infant care, etc. 

5. Feedback mechanism

 1. Post-delivery care has been increased.

2.  Enrolled mothers were 2.28 times more likely to complete four or more ANC visits compared to unenrolled mothers.
4.  Bangladesh Aponjon It is a mobile-based mHealth service in Bangladesh designed to support expecting and new mothers. It is started under the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA). 1. Available in text and voice form.

2. Weekly messages regarding the pregnancy cycle or the age of the baby.

3. Customized messages for urban and rural mothers and their family members.

4. Users can choose a convenient time to receive voice messages.

5. Accessibility to users to call the Aponjon counseling line and talk directly to doctors.

6. 24*7 availability of counselling line for subscribers.

 1. Antenatal visits increased.

2. Increased breastfeeding rate.

3. Vaccination rate increased.

4. Post-natal care visits increased

  • National Level Interventions

    Kilkari – The Kilkari program, launched on January 15, 2016, is part of India’s Digital India initiative, aimed at promoting healthier choices for new and expectant mothers through mobile-based services. This audio-based service, overcoming rural literacy challenges, delivers free, weekly, time-appropriate messages about pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare via Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to women registered in the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) portal. It starts in the second trimester and continues until the child is one year old, Kilkari educates families on essential behaviors and practices. Read more

    mMitra – It is a free mobile-based voice call service that provides preventive care information to women during pregnancy and their baby’s first year. It is operational in Maharashtra. It has Personalized voice messages and calls are sent weekly, or every two weeks, in the language and time slot the woman prefers. This has reached 3.60 million women and improved maternal health practices. Read more

    ANCHAL – (Antenatal Neonatal and Child Health Systems and Logistics tracking tool)- It is a digital solution designed to bridge critical gaps in maternal healthcare services. The main aim of this project is to reduce maternal death and improve healthcare delivery by involving all stakeholders and service providers, which enables better care and outcomes for mothers. It incorporates Digital summary cards, Digital partographs, Digital facility-based maternal death audits, and Digitization of Maternal Health Services which connects frontline health workers. It is implemented across all 13 blocks of Pune District, Maharashtra. Over 6,500 health workers, including MOs, SNs, LHVs, ANMs, and ASHAs, have been trained on the platform. Read more

    TeCHO+ –  It is implemented by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat. It is a mobile and web-based application. It allows frontline workers to enter data at the time and location of service delivery to enhance data quality and coverage. It provides Real-Time Data Entry done by Health workers who follow daily work plans and log in daily. High-risk alerts help in Identifying high-risk cases and notify health workers and officials for immediate action. It also provides Beneficiary Tracking by Using AI to track beneficiaries, migrations, eligible couples, and children for services like immunization. Additionally, it incorporates Dashboards & Reports, which auto-generates daily reports accessible by state, district, and taluka health officials. it has a feature of GPS which tracks worker visits and services, with the support of the helpline provides immediate technical support for Supervision & Monitoring. Read more

    Janitri – It is a healthcare innovation company offering advanced digital solutions to improve maternal, fetal, and newborn health outcomes. Its interventions are designed for healthcare providers and expecting mothers, which makes pregnancy and childbirth monitoring more efficient, accessible, and affordable. Read more

    Mobile for Mothers – It is a mHealth application that is designed to enhance maternal health awareness among pregnant women in tribal regions of India. This application consists of 4 modules: (i) Registration, (ii) antenatal care, (iii) intranatal care, and (iv) postnatal care.

    It Allows to register pregnant women and tracking their pregnancy journey. It is a User-Friendly Interface, cost-effective.
    It also provides an Interactive Voice Recording System that provides information through voice prompts, texts, and photographs in the user’s native language. It further helps to track danger signs and provides timely prompts for seeking medical attention. Read more

    POSHAN Tracker – The POSHAN Tracker, launched under the Government of India’s Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission), is a digital tool designed to monitor and support the implementation of nutrition-related interventions, particularly for women and children.

    The features include:

    A) For Program Beneficiaries

    • SMS Alerts: Sends critical alerts (e.g., for pregnant women about to deliver or children with severe acute malnutrition) to encourage care and use of ICDS benefits.
    • Grievance Platform: Enables beneficiaries to raise complaints, which are escalated and addressed within a stipulated time frame.

    B) For Anganwadi Workers (AWWs)

    • Beneficiary Registration: Records data on pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children (0-6 years), including Aadhaar verification.
    • Grievance Platform: Enables beneficiaries to raise complaints, which are escalated and addressed within a stipulated time frame.
    • Daily Tracking: Captures attendance, meal distribution, and preschool education activities.
    • Home Visits: Assigns and tracks home visits for counseling based on beneficiary needs.

    Read more

Global Programs and Policies

  • Global Nutrition Targets 2025

    WHO has set several key targets to improve the nutritional health of mothers, infants, and children by 2025.

    • To reduce childhood stunting by 40%.
    • There need to cut anaemia in women of reproductive age by 50%.
    • To decrease low birth weight by 30%.
    • To Prevent increases in childhood overweight.
    • To raise exclusive breastfeeding rates in the first six months to at least 50%.
    • To reduce childhood wasting to less than 5%

    Read More: https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/global-targets-2025

  • Healthy Life Trajectories Initiative (HeLTI)

    It is an international collaboration between four linked intervention cohorts, an initiative by WHO. The countries including Canada, China, India, and South Africa, to implement and test strategies:

    • To prevent overweight and obesity in children and risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs)
    • To improve early childhood development (ECD), Women’s, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health

    Read more: https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/healthy-life-trajectories-initiative-(helti)

  • Maternal Nutrition Acceleration Plan (2024–2025)

    It aims to combat maternal malnutrition and anemia in 16 priority countries by reaching 16 million pregnant women through antenatal care programs. The plan focuses on delivering a package of essential nutrition services, including micronutrient supplementation, dietary counseling, and anemia prevention, while fostering collaborations with governments, partners, and communities to ensure a sustainable impact. By addressing these critical nutritional needs, the initiative seeks to improve maternal health, reduce pregnancy-related risks, and promote healthier outcomes for both mothers and their children.

    Read more: https://www.unicef.org/nutrition/maternal-nutrition-acceleration-plan

National Programs

  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)

    The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) is a maternity benefit program that provides pregnant women with cash incentives to compensate for pay loss and allow them to rest before and after the delivery of their first living child. The program aims to help socially and economically disadvantaged women, including those from marginalized groups and with poor family incomes. Benefits include ₹5,000 for the first child in two installments and ₹6,000 for a second kid (if female) in one installment. Registration is permitted up to 270 days after births, and beneficiaries are eligible for additional assistance through the Janani Suraksha Yojana.

    Read more: https://pmmvy.wcd.gov.in/

  • Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK)

    JSSK is a national initiative to make available better health facilities for women and children. It was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India on 1st June 2011. The main objective of the JSSK scheme is to increase institutional deliveries to reduce the instances of Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate. The beneficiaries that come under this scheme are pregnant women and neonates till 30 days after birth. This initiative is aimed at mitigating the burden of out-of-pocket expenses. Various services are provided to pregnant women and sick neonates till 30 days after birth. Some of the services for pregnant women are free and zero expense delivery and C-section, free drugs and consumables, free provision of blood, free transport, free essential diagnostics, etc., and for sick born neonates till 30 days are free treatment, free drugs, free diagnostics, free provision of blood, free transport, etc. In India, there has been a substantial increase in institutional deliveries after implementing JSSK.

    Read more: https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/programmes/jssk/guidelines/guidelines_for_jssk.pdf

  • Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY)

    JSY is a safe motherhood intervention launched under the National Rural Health Mission on 12th April 2005 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. It is a 100% centrally sponsored scheme and integrates cash assistance with delivery and post-delivery care. The main objective of this scheme is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery among poor pregnant women.

    Read more: https://www.nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=3&sublinkid=841&lid=309

  • Nutrition Programmes under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India

    It is a strategy under the National Health Mission (NHM), which includes various activities to address the issues of anemia and malnutrition among women and children across the country. The key nutrition programmes are:

    • Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA)
    • Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs)
    • Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB)
    • National Deworming Day (NDD)
    • Comprehensive Lactation Management Centers and Lactation Management Units (CLMC & LMU)
    • Vitamin A Supplementation

    Read more: https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=1446&lid=796

Take the Quiz

Name(Required)
What is the primary focus of Maternal and Child Health Nutrition?
Which of the nutrition programme is not covered under
According to the Global Nutrition Report, what percentage of child fatalities under the age of five is attributed to malnutrition?
What digital intervention is used in South Africa to improve maternal health through cell phone technology?
When was the Kilkari program launched in India?
What type of messages does the Kilkari program deliver to new and expectant mothers?
What does the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) provide to pregnant women in India?
Which program uses AI to track beneficiaries and generates alerts for high-risk cases?
Which program's focus is on preventing low birth weight and preterm births through preconception care?
What is the primary goal of the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020?