Nutrition data use and needs: Findings from an online survey of global nutrition stakeholders
Audrey J Buckland, Andrew Thorne‐Lyman, Tricia Aung, Shannon King, Renee Manorat, Laura Becker, Ellen Piwoz, Rahul Rawat, Rebecca Heidkamp
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is growing global demand for country-specific information to track nutritional status and its determinants, including intervention coverage. Periodic population-based surveys form the backbone of most national nutrition information systems. However, data on the coverage of many nutrition specific and sensitive interventions remain sparse. METHODS: tests used for statistical testing. RESULTS: < 0.05). The most commonly accessed indicators overall were the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (69%), child minimum dietary diversity (66%), under-5 stunting (65%), and under-5 wasting (65%). Reported data gaps included adult and household diet quality indicators (n = 32), nutrition-sensitive intervention coverage (n = 25), and infant and young child feeding promotion coverage (n = 11). Lack of data availability for the desired geographic level (82%) or demographic group of interest (82%) and out-of-date data (77%) were common data challenges experienced by respondents. CONCLUSIONS: The survey results highlight the continued need for high-quality, actionable nutrition data to help facilitate progress towards national and global nutrition targets.