Nutrition and How It Relates to Community Health Workers

Nutrition is a very specific category with a vast array of coverage when pertaining to community health workers (CHWs). The concept of nutrition is more than what we eat but how it is used by our bodies and how it can benefit our overall health. The burden of malnutrition is a deep issue many countries deal with, especially with vulnerable population groups like young children, older seniors, and individuals who are immune-compromised or have preexisting health concerns.

CHWs are in the front line experiencing how people suffer from malnourishment, growth stunting, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and the symptoms and/or side effects of the NCDs. There is a level of hardship when facing people who are suffering in their own ways, and CHWs are capable to provide the necessary aid to these communities with the support of groups like IHELP.

Currently IHELP is formulating a secondary nutrition education certification for CHWs to equip them with the more in-depth knowledge they will need when out in the field. IHELP aims to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and culturally/traditionally acceptable methods of nutritional food intake. Research is currently being compiled through country data profiles, peer-reviewed scientific study journals, and connecting with IHELP’s current CHWs. There is a distinct need to address malnutrition globally and with this education certification, which will empower future interventions, it is the best calculated step in the direction of lessening its prevalence around the world.