THE USE OF INFORMATION IN THE IRINGA NUTRITION PROGRAM - SOME GLOBAL LESSONS FOR NUTRITION SURVEILLANCE

The Iringa Nutrition Programme (INP) in Tanzania is a community-based programme to improve the nutritional status of women and children. It differs from most other programmes of its size by employing a process approach to identify causes of and solutions to malnutrition at househ old and community levels. This process approach requires that househol ds and communities be sensitized to the nature of malnutrition in soci ety; that they be trained and supported in their efforts to identify l ocal causes and solutions; and that they and the supporting administra tive levels correctly perceive the roles and responsibilities each has for the persistence or reduction of malnutrition. Information on the nutritional status (weight-for-age) of children plays a central role i n this process, as part of a simple, ongoing management information sy stem. This information system is one of the best examples of 'nutritio n surveillance for programme management and evaluation', but it depart s from the conventional model of such a system in important ways. The principles developed in Iringa have recently been used to guide a revi ew of experience with national surveillance systems in other countries , and to re-think the underlying theory of nutrition surveillance. Thi s paper documents the principle lessons from Iringa and provides concr ete suggestions for improving national-level surveillance in light of these lessons.