Increased competencies for nutrition in Zanzibari health care

Description

Inadequate nutrition is a major health risk on Zanzibar: Like other developing countries, Zanzibar is undergoing a double burden of underweight and overweight/obesity with rapid increasing number of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and associated risk factors. Current research conducted in collaboration of the partners, University Bremen (UB), Bremen Institute for Prevention Studies (BIPS) and State University of Zanzibar (SUZA) reveals that poor food consumption and food insecurity remain a key public health problem in many households of Zanzibar, which calls for early health enhancing strategies for this population (see SUTAS graduate school; https://www.bips-institut.de/forschung/projekte/einzelansicht.html?projID=500).

The MENTION project addresses importnat longterm outcomes of the DAAD PAGEL program. Due to the urgent need to place nutrition in the focus of Zanzibar health care at all levels, the partners agreed to approach this by giving nutrition a more prominent position in the curriculum for medical doctors and furthermore, to develop vocational training modules for active professionals in the Zanzibari health care system. In order to develop the capacity for successful intervention activities with joint surveillance studies the following objectives were set:

- First, novel educational strategies in medical education will be established. This is essential to develop the competence of current and future health professionals (practicing physicians, medical school students, medical officers, etc.) to proactively advise and teach patients’ enhanced self-care skills.
- Second, experts and consultants with sound medical training including nutritional knowledge will enhance the government’s ability to counteract and avoid rising a prevalence of nutrition related NCDs.
- Third, the implementation of nutrition training in research will provide reliable and regular data on NCDs and their determinants through the health system.

Funding period

Begin:   March 2018
End:   December 2021

Sponsor

  • German Academic Exchange Service

Contact

Dr. oec. troph. Antje Hebestreit

Application (national)

Universität Bremen

Links

Project website at University Bremen

Project website of the integrated PhD Project (University Bremen)