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Although Tajikistan has made recent progress in reducing unemployment and poverty, malnutrition remains widespread. Half of all children under five suffer from iodine deficiency and a quarter suffer from stunting, putting their futures at risk. In addition, rates of obesity and diet-related diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure are on the rise. To combat this, the government has joined Enhance nutrition (SUN) movement, which is working to improve nutrition in the country. With technical support from FAO, members of the Khatlon region’s Bureau of Statistics were trained in collecting and analysing WDDS data and assisted in conducting a local pilot survey. WDDS, or the Female Dietary Diversity Score, is a qualitative global nutrition indicator that counts the number of food groups a person has consumed in the 24 hours prior to the test. The goal is to include nutrition elements in the annual Household Budget Survey (HBS). Given the response to the training, the government has decided to integrate WDDS data into the HBS and has asked FAO to assist with training in other parts of the country.
Tajikistan is a country with a young demographic. Seven out of ten people in the country are under the age of 30, and the country sees this young and growing generation as a great asset for future investment. In recent years, they have made significant progress in reducing unemployment and poverty, and now they are turning their focus to nutrition.
Malnutrition is widespread in Tajikistan. The current diet is high in sugar and saturated fats and lacks mineral-rich fruits and vegetables, leading to widespread diet-related problems such as obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease and persistent malnutrition. These problems particularly affect the younger population, with half of children under five suffering from iodine deficiency and a quarter suffering from stunting.
Enhance nutrition
In response, the Government of Tajikistan joined the Scaling Up Nutrition movement in September 2013, working to improve nutrition for all. As the country’s malnutrition problems are largely linked to poor diet, a top priority is to establish appropriate information systems to understand and monitor the quality and diversity of people’s diets. This will allow national authorities to plan and design appropriate programs to effectively and sustainably address the root causes of malnutrition in the country.
What did you eat in the past 24 hours?
With technical support from FAO (and funding from the European Union), the Tajik Bureau of Statistics and the Ministry of Health implemented a pilot dietary assessment survey in the Khatlon region as part of a project called “Strengthening the National Food Security Information System in Tajikistan”. The survey aims to provide the Bureau of Statistics with data on the variety and quality of local diets, in line with World Health Organization recommendations. The main focus of the project is the introduction of a female dietary diversity score, a simple qualitative global nutrition indicator that calculates the number of food groups a person consumes in a 24-hour period.
This indicator focuses on women because, given their special nutritional needs (especially mothers and expectant mothers) and their special role in household nutrition (statistically, women prioritize the food needs of family members before meeting their own needs), if women’s high nutritional needs are met, it means that the nutritional needs of other family members are also met with a high degree of certainty. The purpose of this data collection is to show what foods people eat more of, and what foods they eat less of. The purpose of this work is to include a nutrition component in the annual household budget survey.
Professor Azonov of the Tajikistan Institute of Nutrition said: “I think this dietary diversity study will help us understand the problem at the household level. It will help to further prevent malnutrition and improve the nutritional status in Tajikistan.”
Develop local capacity
In May 2014, staff from the Statistics Bureau were invited to attend a six-day training workshop. Four days of the workshop included lectures, group exercises, focus group discussions, and role-playing. The lectures covered basic concepts of food and nutrition security assessments, different types of food indicators, and how to incorporate WDDS data into assessments. The last two days were field trips to allow local families and community members to experience first-hand how to conduct WDDS data collection.
“The workshop and the food category adaptation process were very useful,” said Abdugavul Surtonov, chief expert at the Kurgan-Tyube Statistics Bureau. “We improved our knowledge of common foods and meals and included them in our dietary monitoring tools.”
Simple and reliable
The WDDS is a simple and reliable method. The data it provides can help the Government of Tajikistan monitor progress towards improved diets and nutrition, and develop and implement strong policies and programs. So far, the response to the workshops and support for the program has been very positive.
The results of the data collection and analysis were presented to the Government in October 2014. In view of the success of the pilot phase of nutrition data collection, the Statistics Office has requested further assistance from FAO for the training of local staff in the remaining parts of the country.
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