PUTTING NUTRITION ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA - THE MANITOBA-NUTRITION-SERVICES-REVIEW

In the fell of 1993, a partnership was struck between representatives of the Manitoba Ministry of Health and the nutrition community, result ing in the formation of a working committee. The purpose of the commit tee was to compile data on current nutritional status of Manitobans; t o conduct an environmental scan to identify nutrition services, interv entions and resources across the province; to compile evidence for the effectiveness and lost effectiveness of nutrition interventions, and to submit recommendations to government for consideration in the devel opment of policy options for the delivery of province-wide nutrition s ervices. Accordingly, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to elicit information from a wide constituency identified as being respo nsible for the planning, implementation, evaluation and administration of such services. In addition, data were gathered from existing docum ents and verbal communication with key informants. The review resulted in the formulation of forty three recommendations directed to derisio n makers within, and external to, government that, if addressed, would have a significant impact on promoting and improving the health of Ma nitobans in a cost-effective manner. The process for eliciting governm ent support for the review and for involving the nutrition community i n its execution is discussed. Highlights of the review findings and su ggested strategies that proved to be effective in initiating action to address the recommendations ore also shared.