A Review of Vitamin A Supplementation in South Sudan: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities for the Way Forward.

Aim: To identify vitamin A supplementation (VAS) trends in South Sudan and provide insights to refocus VAS programming vis a vis polio eradication campaigns recently phased out while access to health care, land, food, and markets remain challenging.

Method: Review of data from survey and coverage reports; review of policy and program documents; key informant responses; general literature search.

Results: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is likely a severe public health problem among preschool-aged children in South Sudan based on a high under-5 mortality rate (96.

Can we predict the burden of acute malnutrition in crisis-affected countries? Findings from Somalia and South Sudan.

Background: Sample surveys are the mainstay of surveillance for acute malnutrition in settings affected by crises but are burdensome and have limited geographical coverage due to insecurity and other access issues. As a possible complement to surveys, we explored a statistical approach to predict the prevalent burden of acute malnutrition for small population strata in two crisis-affected countries, Somalia (2014-2018) and South Sudan (2015-2018).

Methods: For each country, we sourced datasets generated by humanitarian actors or other entities on insecurity, displacement, food insecurity, access to services, epidemic occurrence and other factors on the causal pathway to malnutrition.

Intrahousehold management and use of nutritional supplements during the hunger gap in Maradi region, Niger: a qualitative study.

Background: Nutritional supplements are used for preventing and treating childhood malnutrition. While there is a growing body of evidence on product efficacy, less emphasis has been placed on how they are perceived and used at the household level. Here, we report on the intrahousehold management of three different supplements (Ready to Use Supplementary food (RUSF), medium quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS-MQ) and Super Cereal Plus (SC+)) in the region of Maradi (Niger).

Effects of unconditional cash transfers on the outcome of treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM): a cluster-randomised trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Background: Cash transfer programs (CTPs) aim to strengthen financial security for vulnerable households. This potentially enables improvements in diet, hygiene, health service access and investment in food production or income generation. The effect of CTPs on the outcome of children already severely malnourished is not well delineated.

The gender, social and cultural influences on the management and use of unconditional cash transfers in Niger: a qualitative study.

Objective: The current qualitative study aimed to identify gender, social and cultural influences on the management and use of unconditional cash transfers as part of a prospective intervention study in Niger.

Design: In February to March 2012, focus group discussions and semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with female caregivers of children aged 6 to 23 months who received unconditional cash transfers. Discussion and interview transcripts were analysed using content thematic analysis.

An assessment of progress toward universal salt iodization in Rajasthan, India, using iodine nutrition indicators in school-aged children and pregnant women from the same households.

Background: In Rajasthan, an Indian State with significant salt production, the sale of non-iodized salt for human consumption was banned in 1992. This study explored the relationships between the use of iodized salt in Rajasthan and the iodine status of children and pregnant women living in the area.

Methods: In a State-wide survey, 30 clusters were selected proportionate-to-population-size and 40 school children, 6-12 years old, were enrolled by random house-to-house visits in each cluster.