Day 1 : Oral Presentations (Theme: Education for Service)

Capacity building of public health professionals in data analysis for nutritional surveillance

Location

Lecture Hall 3

Start Date

26-1-2013 11:10 AM

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition can be the most serious public health problem and may be a leading cause of death. According to the recently conducted FANS , MICS 2007carried out in FATA and the MICS 2008 in Punjab the Global Acute Malnutrition rate is above the emergency threshold and serious malnutrition exist in Pakistan. The capacity of department of Health, local and international NGOs in improving malnutrition is extremely weak. Nutrition is absent from medical school curriculum and along with a low level of political will which affects local authority capacity; there is a huge need for training in nutrition. Nutrition monitoring system in Pakistan has already been implemented but the nutritional surveillance data often remains unanalyzed and unpublished. The main reason is lack of data analysis skills and in competency in statistical software usage. To meet the challenges posed by emerging technologies, the Department of Epidemiology and Bio-statistics at Health Services Academy developed curriculum and held a series of trainings on statistical analysis for nutritional surveillance. Objectives were to: 1. Increase and improve the capacity of the health professionals working at provincial and district level, in data analysis by using different statistical software/s. 2. Improve their role in strengthening the nutritional health system by utilizing the information extracted from Nutritional Surveillance data.

Methods: Software suitable for analysis of anthropometric data WHO ANTHRO,for data entry and descriptive analysis Excel software and for advanced statistical analysis and model building STATA soft ware were included in curriculum. Settings: computer Labs. of Public Health or Medical institutions in provincial capitals of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan ,KPK and in Islamabad. Target Audience: Program managers, coordinators, academicians, researchers, data analysts, health care providers working at provincial and district level. Method of evaluation of trainings was pre and post test, 8 questions for district and 12 for provincial level.

Results: A total of 09 trainings were conducted, 04 each District and Provincial and a Federal level in which about 200 professionals trained. Provincial level participants acquired higher scores as compared to district level. Knowledge of statistics and data analysis is poor at district and provincial level. Similar trainings should be conducted on regular basis.

Conclusions: In order to respond to this situation in a systematic and sustainable manner, and to build the capacity to be able to respond effectively in future; it is imperative that this capacity building function should be incorporated within the health system itself.

Key words: Nutrition, capacity building, data analysis, software

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Jan 26th, 11:10 AM Jan 26th, 11:25 AM

Capacity building of public health professionals in data analysis for nutritional surveillance

Lecture Hall 3

Background: Malnutrition can be the most serious public health problem and may be a leading cause of death. According to the recently conducted FANS , MICS 2007carried out in FATA and the MICS 2008 in Punjab the Global Acute Malnutrition rate is above the emergency threshold and serious malnutrition exist in Pakistan. The capacity of department of Health, local and international NGOs in improving malnutrition is extremely weak. Nutrition is absent from medical school curriculum and along with a low level of political will which affects local authority capacity; there is a huge need for training in nutrition. Nutrition monitoring system in Pakistan has already been implemented but the nutritional surveillance data often remains unanalyzed and unpublished. The main reason is lack of data analysis skills and in competency in statistical software usage. To meet the challenges posed by emerging technologies, the Department of Epidemiology and Bio-statistics at Health Services Academy developed curriculum and held a series of trainings on statistical analysis for nutritional surveillance. Objectives were to: 1. Increase and improve the capacity of the health professionals working at provincial and district level, in data analysis by using different statistical software/s. 2. Improve their role in strengthening the nutritional health system by utilizing the information extracted from Nutritional Surveillance data.

Methods: Software suitable for analysis of anthropometric data WHO ANTHRO,for data entry and descriptive analysis Excel software and for advanced statistical analysis and model building STATA soft ware were included in curriculum. Settings: computer Labs. of Public Health or Medical institutions in provincial capitals of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan ,KPK and in Islamabad. Target Audience: Program managers, coordinators, academicians, researchers, data analysts, health care providers working at provincial and district level. Method of evaluation of trainings was pre and post test, 8 questions for district and 12 for provincial level.

Results: A total of 09 trainings were conducted, 04 each District and Provincial and a Federal level in which about 200 professionals trained. Provincial level participants acquired higher scores as compared to district level. Knowledge of statistics and data analysis is poor at district and provincial level. Similar trainings should be conducted on regular basis.

Conclusions: In order to respond to this situation in a systematic and sustainable manner, and to build the capacity to be able to respond effectively in future; it is imperative that this capacity building function should be incorporated within the health system itself.

Key words: Nutrition, capacity building, data analysis, software