ABSTRACT
Nutrition activities in the community have in the past generally tended to be "distribution" programs long preceding similar efforts in the area of contraceptives, immunizations, or disease therapy such as oral rehydration for diarrhea. A recent and extensive review of nutrition interventions in developing countries prepared for the US Agency for International Development discussed experience in the areas of: supplementary feeding, nutrition education, fortification, formulated foods, consumer price, food subsidies, agricultural production, and integrated nutrition programs in primary health care. The remarkable success of certain nutrition interventions has depended upon unique situations or highly focused input. Nutritional status of a population is one of the best measures of its economic or development level. It is unusual to find substantial undernutrition in populations enjoying adequate but modest standards of living. The goal was to find a pragmatic population-wide, community-based program replicable in cost, supervision, and administration that fostered self-reliance and behavioral change leading to improved nutritional status among young children.
