The impact of CFTRI’s nutrition-rich products on children’s health has been under study for over six months, via feedback from anganwadi centres covered under the programme.
“The data is ready but we plan to distribute our products to a few more districts, and if possible to children in neighbouring states, for a more in-depth analysis,” Ram Rajashekaran, director, CFTRI said.
Prof Rajashekaran told The Hindu, “We could finalise a nutritional profile for pre-school children when we get extensive data from a diverse background. For this, more children will be covered under the exercise before the institute lists with its observations.” On the whole, the aim has been to expand the reach of our innovations to combat nutritional deficiencies, he added.
The study had encompassed surveys exploring details of family backgrounds and the health status of children using diagnostic tools.
Pre-school children were particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and its consequences. The paucity of a balanced diet impairs physical and cognitive development and reduces overall growth, according to CFTRI.
