NUTRITION 2020 LIVE ONLINE: AWARDS, ABSTRACTS, E-POSTERS AND PRESENTATION BY IFPRI RESEARCHERS AND COLLABORATORS

e-Poster on 'Routine Growth Monitoring Processes in Nutrition Programs in India have Multiple Falter Points' (courtesy: POSHAN team)

In a rare opportunity of its kind, the American Society for Nutrition Foundation’s (ASNF) flagship conference NUTRITION 2020 can be accessed live online from June 1-4, 2020. In response to the COVID-19 concerns, this in-person event was turned into a virtual conference where people can connect from anywhere in the world, and join nutrition experts in panel discussions, live Q&A, lectures, virtual abstract presentations, virtual exhibits, and much more.

This is an especially exciting year for researchers from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) because of our presence in various sessions along with our collaborators. In the livestream sessions, on June 2, 2020 Marie Ruel, Director of IFPRI’s Poverty, Health and Nutrition Division will be a panellist in a discussion on “Nutrition in a Pandemic Environment” and present on “COVID-19’s Pathways of Impact on Nutrition”. On June 3, 2020, in an implementation science workshop, Rasmi Avula, Research Fellow, IFPRI, will make a presentation on the coverage of essential nutrition and health interventions in India in the first 1000-days in the pre-COVID-19 times. She will also describe the adaptations to delivery modalities of these essential nutrition and health interventions in the context of COVID-19 in India.

In an impressive list of abstract and e-poster presentations, the following studies by IFRPI-POSHAN researchers and our collaborators are included in the conference, under various topical areas. A study included under the topical area of Dietary Patterns, is the finalist for the Emerging Leaders in Nutrition Science Award:

• Self-Identified Vegetarian Pregnant Women in India Have Better Diets Than Self-Identified Non-Vegetarian Women Because of the Intersections of Caste and Economic Status (P07-008-20) – with e-poster

The following abstracts are included under the topical area of Global Nutrition:

• South Asia Is Far from Achieving Universal Coverage of Essential Nutrition Interventions: Examining Coverage, Trends, and Inequities, 2005 to 2018 (P14-112-20) – with e-poster
• Tracking India’s Progress on Addressing Malnutrition Will Require Strengthening Survey and Administrative Data Systems (P26-006-20)
• Are Data Available to Measure Progress in the Coverage of Essential Nutrition Actions in South Asia? A Review of Demographic and Health Surveys in Seven Countries, 2005-2018 (P14-052-20) – with e-poster
• Can Health Systems Platforms Do More for Nutrition in India? Insights on Missed Opportunities from India’s National Family Health Survey, 2015-2016 (P14-079-20)
• Routine Growth Monitoring Processes in Nutrition Programs in India Have Multiple Falter Points with Implications for Quality of Care (P14-011-20) – with e-poster & audio
• Factors Influencing Roll-Out of an m-Health Intervention in India: Results from a Dynamic and Responsive Process Evaluation (P14-006-20)
• M-Health Intervention Has the Potential to Alleviate Constraints in Using Administrative Data Systems for Improving Service Delivery in India (P14-007-20)
• No Magic Bullets: Insights on Drivers of Stunting Decline from an Analysis of Subnational Success Cases in India (P14-008-20)
• Mobile Technology Integrated into a Large-Scale Nutrition Program Enables Age-Appropriate Home Visits and Counseling for Mothers of Infants in India (P14-091-20)
• If Only I Knew: Nutrition Behavior Change Delivered by Women’s Groups Has Impacts on Diet Quality That Are Mediated by Knowledge in Rural Bihar, India (P14-094-20) – with e-poster

The following abstracts are included under the topical area of Maternal, Perinatal and Pediatric Nutrition:

• Tipping the Scales: Population Estimates and Risk Factors for Severe Thinness, Thinness, Overweight and Obesity Among Pregnant Women and Mothers in India (P15-047-20) – with e-poster
• Strengthening Nutrition Interventions in Antenatal Care Services Had Modest Impacts on Diet Diversity, Micronutrient Intake, and Breastfeeding in Uttar Pradesh, India (P15-122-20)
• Understanding How the Strategic Use of Data Can Improve the Implementation of Maternal Nutrition Interventions in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India (P15-017-20)

The following abstract is included under the topical area of Nutrition Education and Behavioral Science:

• Health Systems Strengthening Efforts Help to Improve the Delivery of Maternal Nutrition Interventions in Antenatal Care in Uttar Pradesh (UP), India but Gaps Remain (P20-031-20) – with e-poster & audio

The following abstract is included under the topical area of Nutritional Epidemiology:

• How Has Early Marriage, a Critical Social Determinant of Child Stunting and Wasting, Changed over a Decade in South Asia? Trends, Inequities and Drivers, 2005 to 2018 (P22-113-20)

The following abstract is included under the topical area of Policies and Regulations:

• An Analysis of Nutrition-Relevant National Policies in South Asia Reveals a Gap in Addressing the Essential Nutrition Actions Recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) (P26-018-20)

The following abstracts are included under the topical area of Vitamins and Minerals:

• Anemia Affects One in Four Indian Men and Has Not Decreased in the Last Decade: Trends, Geographic Variability and Predictors from Nationally Representative Data, 2005 to 2016 (P29-057-20) – with e-poster & audio
• Anemia in Indian Men Predicts Fewer Work Hours and Lower Earnings: Evidence from Nationally Representative Health and Labor Surveys (P29-065-20)
• Interrelations Between School-Based Services, Dietary Intake and Micronutrient Deficiencies Among School-Going Children and Adolescents Aged 5-19 Years in India (P29-013-20) – with e-poster
• Iron Deficiency Is the Strongest Predictor of Anemia in Indian Adolescents Aged 10-19 years: Evidence from the Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey (P29-046-20) – with e-poster

We are also delighted because Purnima Menon, Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI and Director, POSHAN (Partnerships and Opportunities to Strengthen and Harmonize Actions for Nutrition in India) has been nominated for the Nevin Scrimshaw Mid-Career Award in Global Nutrition. This prestigious award, which is supported by the Sight and Life Foundation, is given to a mid-career professional who has done innovative work to advance the field of global nutrition and is a current member of ASN’s Global Nutrition Council.

The online sessions, abstracts, e-posters and all that is going on at NUTRITION 2020 can be accessed through FREE registration on the conference website. These will be available via the online schedule planner and mobile app. Don’t miss the opportunity of being a part of this global conference!