Профиль участника
Г-жа Srikanthi Bodapati
Организация:
Nutrition and Public Health Specialist
Страна:
Индия
Область (области) знаний:
I am working on:
Adolescent and Maternal Nutrition, Food Fortification, Essential New Born care and MIYCN projects
Г-жа Srikanthi Bodapati
Under the section 3.8 Women and men’s ability to make strategic choices for healthy diets and good nutrition, the following points can be added as part of Problem Statement:
Gender discriminatory norms prevailing in certain communities and societies clearly discriminate adolescent girls and women from their right to access, demand and consume healthy diets. Adolescent girls are made to do domestic chores and compromise on their health and education especially during situations like covid related school closures. This predisposes them to increased risk for anaemia, undernutrition and overweight and obesity (due to consumption of calorie rich foods and compromising on diet quality). Also a lack of decision making power in household expenditure, savings, investment in food and lands etc. is also predominant form of gender inequalities seen across several societies. Several adolescent girls are forced to early marriage and for taking care of their younger siblings depriving their own education and nutrition. Later when they are forced to enter into family life, they are influenced by their in laws and other family members and do not make any reproductive health choices and enter into unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions due to their own poor nutritional profile.
Policy areas for discussion:
Policies should prioritize on girls' nutrition and provision of food through social safety nets for their improved coverage and better health outcomes.