Brief Description of the Lead Organization
The lead Organization charged with this assessment is Triodia consultancy. It is an Australian NGO, which provides specialized training services and project management for communities. Their mandate includes landscaping, native vegetation, horticultural and community gardening management projects. It is a specialization in service-delivery for the Aboriginal communities in Australia. Triodia’s bases its services on two main areas, namely, training and project management (Australian Indigenous)
Statement of the Nutritional Problem
Breastfeeding naturally provides ideal nourishment for the infant. Children who have various self-limiting illnesses require lots of breast milk. The lower solute load of breast milk keeps the baby well hydrated despite their fever and fluid losses. The sudden weaning of a child can cause psychological trauma (Lawrence and Robert 478).
Attitudes and confidence among mothers determine the duration of the length of exclusive breastfeeding. Exclusive breastfeeding has advantages for both the mother and the child. Westmar and Lisa conducted a study on the breastfeeding attitudes among women in the rural areas of Thailand. The study revealed that most of the women had a neutral attitude towards breastfeeding. Moreover, thirteen percent had a positive attitude to formula feeding. Only seven percent had a positive attitude to breastfeeding, hence a significant disorientation from breast milk (Westmar and Lisa 2).
According to Lawrence and Robert, malnutrition affects the volume of the milk that the mother produces. Circumstances such as extreme famine lead to a significant reduction in quantities of milk produced by lactating mothers. Consequently, this leads to the starvation of the infants. There is a broad range of the milk that healthy breastfed infants take. It varies among cultures and communities, averaging from 750 to 800 grams per day and between 400-1200 grams per day (Lawrence and Robert 284).
According to Timothy and Pablo, failure of human populations to meet their basic survival needs precludes the conservation of man (2). The survival of man is highly dependent on the condition of their environment. Nutritional assessment provides a right balance in addressing the question of human survival and ultimate well-being. People who lack adequate intakes of bio-resources in their nutrition are likely to suffer micronutrient deficiencies and protein energy malnutrition (Timothy Pablo 1).Definition of the Community
This assessment looks at the fishing communities in Thailand, which were devastated by the tsunami. According to a FAO report, thirty percent of the world’s fishermen are found in Asia and most of them are small scale entrepreneurs (par.1). According to global giving, the tsunami hit close to 418 families along the Thailand’s Andaman coast. The disaster left almost three hundred people in 186 villages dead and about a hundred injured (Global Giving).
Purpose of the Assessment
This assessment will carry out nutrition screening among the nursing mothers in Andaman coast to find out their primary nutritional needs. The assessment further seeks to establish the major nutrition-related illnesses among the nursing mothers and their children. In addition, it aims to conduct nutritional screening among them to find out the health disparities. This assessment aims to establish the primary determinants of nutritional risks in this community.
According to Moats and Julia, screening is a vital part in delaying and preventing chronic diseases and illness-related consequences of poor nutrition. Further, testing helps to eliminate national disparities and improve the post-discharge recovery. Moreover, it assists in improving the quality of life and the daily functioning of the individual (Moats and Julia 18).
Hence, nutritional study will provide information on how the tsunami and other environmental factors have contributed to nutrition-related problems such contamination, malnutrition and infectious disease within the Andaman communities (Timothy and Pablo 1) Target Population
This assessment mainly targets the nursing and lactating mothers in the region of the Andaman coast.Goals and Objectives of the Needs Assessment
The evaluation will focus on the effects of the tsunami on the food production and accessibility for the lactating women. Further, the needs assessment aims to identify strategies for fostering exclusive breastfeeding for the lactating women. These strategies will assist in establishing proper child feeding habits among the women to boost their infant’s health. In addition, the assessment will help to gather vital information about the cultural factors affecting the breastfeeding habits of the women. Eventually, it will identify the primary malnutrition-related conditions affecting the children.Data Collected Background Conditions
Many women in rural Thailand are poor and lack formal education. Moreover, they lack mentoring and economic opportunities. As a result, they are vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and neglect from the society. Due to economic challenges, lactating mothers face significant shortages of proper nutrition to take care of their children (Global Giving). Community Characteristics
Population growth of the Andaman communities continues to soar. As a result, there has been an increase in the demand for nutritive food. Average size of the fishing household is between 4.4 to 4.8 members (FAO 6). The Thailand community boasts of a rich cultural heritage and exquisite tourism industry. Moreover, it comprises of attractive wildlife and marine life. Moreover, some animals like elephants are used in the parks and zoos for shows. However, there must be interventions that promote the well-being of the girl child. For example, numerous children are at risk such as the orphans who are unable to care for themselves. Additionally, multiple disadvantaged young females face the menace of inaccessibility to economic opportunities (Global Giving). Environmental Characteristics
The west coast of Thailand has a 740km stretch coastline along the Andaman Sea. Moreover, it has many islands. It has a shelf area that covers close to 126000 square kilometers. There are vast mangrove forests along the coast. A small number of the islands are coral reef girdled. Additionally, those under the national marine parks are also quite few. There are over ten different species of seagrass in Andaman coast. Moreover, there are habitats that are sandy and have shallow collections of mud, which form productive habitats for the various seagrass species (FAO par.2). The use of fine meshed mosquito nets or dynamites in fishing has contributed to the overexploitation of the aquatic resources. Consequently, such practices have led to the destruction of the marine habitats (FAO par.5). Worthy to note is that the environmental contamination from agricultural and industrial chemicals such as organochlorides can directly or indirectly compromise people’s health through dietary changes (Timothy and Pablo 2).
Socioeconomic Characteristics
According to FAO, thirty-five percent of the Andaman coast families depend on marine fishing for their livelihood (FAO par.6). The fishermen along Andaman coast mainly trade their catch with the middlemen in exchange for fishing implements such as gear, boats and household goods. Often, the agents end up buying the fish at rock bottom prices. Consequently, very little remains for buying food. Hence, most households lack access to proper diet (FAO par.6).
Conversely, in Sai Buak Hoi villages, the fishermen do not depend on the middlemen since some of them are fruit producers and landowners (FAO par.4). If Andaman men and women can be empowered to own land and other forms of capital, they can have higher income and increased access to their nutritional needs.Target Population data
Mothers living in the nuclear families refrain from bottled milk more that those living with their extended families. However, the attitude and confidence among Thai women about breastfeeding is relatively safe. However, improvement is crucial (Westmar and Lisa 2).
Executive Summary
The Andaman community faces three major areas of concern about nutrition. The first one is inadequate exclusive breastfeeding among the women (Westmar and Lisa 2). Hence, the matter requires special attention. Secondly, they face the challenge of illiteracy; hence, little exposure to proper dietary standards (Global Giving par.3). Therefore, nutritional education and empowerment is vital. Thirdly, there is a lot of overdependence on seafood to the exclusion of other vital food components (FAO par.5).
Feedback
Nutritional screening plays a crucial role in establishing the nutritional needs of the society. It helps to identify population groups that are facing high risks of malnutrition effects. However, various factors can hinder the effectiveness of such screening. These factors include the language barrier. Hence, it is paramount that those who conduct it should ensure that they have people who speak the Andaman languages for better communication. Health and educational literacy is a vital consideration among the immigrant groups. Additionally, it is essential for the health workers and researchers to factor the geographical factors concerning the screening. For instance, rural areas screening and follow-up should be done differently from the urban screening (Moats and Julia 18).
Works Cited
Australian Indigenous. Triodia Consultancy. Health InfoNet. 2014. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.
FAO CORPORATE DOCUMENTARY REPOSITORY. Small-scale fishery in Southeast Asia: a case study in Southern Thailand. N.d.Web. 4. Dec 2014.
Global Giving Rehabilitating Poor Thai Fishing Communities. 2004. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.
Lawrence, Ruth A., and Robert M. Lawrence. Breastfeeding: a guide for the medical professional. Elsevier Health Sciences, 2010. Print.
Moats, Sheila, and Julia Hoglund. Nutrition and Healthy Aging in the Community: Workshop Summary. National Academies Press, 2012. 16-25. Print
Timothy Johns and Pablo B. Eyzaguirre, "Nutrition and the Environment.” In Nutrition: A Foundation for Development, Geneva: ACC/SCN, 2002. Print.
Westmar, Hanna, and Lisa Johansson. "Breastfeeding attitudes and confidence among mothers in a rural area of Thailand." 2013. Print.
