5 September 2013

MCHIP participated in the 20th International Congress of Nutrition (ICN) from September 15-20, 2013 in Granada, Spain. The ICN occurs every four years and, with more than 4,000 participants registered this year, is considered the largest international nutrition conference. The theme of the five-day Congress is “Joining Cultures through Nutrition” and includes 7 plenary lectures, 32 special lectures, 90 parallel symposia, 4 debates, a living legend session, and 24 sessions of oral communications, as well as 36 sponsored symposia and 16 satellite symposia.

MCHIP staff in attendance contributed to the breadth and depth of experiences and knowledge brought to the international meeting through the hosting of a satellite symposium as well as oral and poster presentations on our work. 

Program staff presented seven electronic posters:

• Integrating Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition (MIYCN) and Family Planning (FP) Services to Improve Health and Nutrition in Kenya – Dr. Judith Kimiywe, Monday, September 16, 8-9 am, Screen 3
• It Takes a Village: Developing Key Community-Level Messages to Address the Rise in Stunting in Rural Egypt – Dr. Justine Kavle, Monday September 16, 10:30-11:30 am, Screen 5
• Operations Research: Triangulation of Data Collection Methods and Analyses to Examine the Rise In Stunting In Lower Versus Upper Egypt — Dr. Justine Kavle, Monday September 16, 10:30- 11:30 am, Screen 5
• Anemia Control Programs and Decreasing Anemia Prevalence in Rwanda — Mr. Evode Micomyiza, Tuesday, September 17, 14:30-15:30 pm, Screen 4
• Promoting Increased Knowledge of Maternal Health and Nutrition through the Egypt MCHIP/Smart Project – Baseline and Training Results — Dr. Ali Abdelmegeid, Tuesday, September 17, 15:30-16:30 pm, Screen 6
• Maternal Nutrition and its Contribution to Poor Obstetric Outcomes — Rae Galloway, Tuesday, September 17, 6-7 pm, Screen 1
• Using Positive Deviance to Identify Nutritious Recipes for Complementary Feeding and to Reduce Stunting in Rural Egypt — Dr. Gulsen Saleh, Friday, September 20, 8-9 am, Screen 1

MCHIP presented one oral presentation:

• Global Progress on Reducing Anemia in Pregnant Women and Young Children — Rae Galloway, Thursday, September 19, 2:30-4 pm, Machado and Picasso Room

On the opening day of the event, MCHIP’s Nutrition Team convened a Symposium Panel on “Giving Iron to Children: Implications for Public Health Programs in Developing Countries.” Co-moderated by Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of Nutrition at the World Health Organization, and Rae Galloway, MCHIP's Nutrition Team Lead, the panel featured five experts discussing the “hot topic” of the risks and benefits of giving iron to young children in developing countries. 

Links to these presentations are available below. Click here to watch a webcast of the event.

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Satellite Symposium:
Giving Iron to Young Children: Implications for Public Health Programs in Developing Countries

September 15, 2013
11:30-13:30
Granada Congress Center/Falla Auditorio Room

Chairs: Francesco Branca, World Health Organization and Rae Galloway, MCHIP

Does iron supplementation benefit development in children younger than two years?
Susan Walker, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica

The effect of giving micronutrient powders with iron and zinc to young children in Pakistan
Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, the Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan

Giving iron supplementation to malaria exposed children: what is the way forward?
Clara Menéndez, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

The risks of giving young children iron in developing countries and possible mechanisms
Robert Black, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

The specific role of iron in early brain development
Michael Georgieff, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

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Additionally, the Program launched the K4Health Integrated Anemia Prevention and Control Toolkit. The toolkit provides background information and global evidence on the multiple causes, prevalence and consequences of anemia, describes the components of an integrated package to address anemia, and gives practical program guidance to implement integrated anemia and prevention control programs, which also highlight country and field experiences.

Please take a moment to check out our newly updated Nutrition information, as well.