Seoul City's 'Nutrition Plus Project' Improves 'Poor Nutritional Intake Rate' Among Pregnant Women and Infants from 86% to 46%

Regular Nutrition Education and Supplement Support for Pregnant Women and Infants with Nutritional Issues Receive Positive Response
12,568 Participants Last Year... Anemia Rate Decreased by 8.5%, Growth Retardation Rate by 11.3%

Nutritional Plus Program Supplementary Food

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government's 'Nutrition Plus Project,' which supports balanced nutrition intake for pregnant women and infants, has reduced the rate of 'poor nutritional intake' from 86.3% to 45.6%, showing high satisfaction among participants. This year, by providing Korean beef for baby food worth 200 million KRW, the plan is to strengthen 'walking with the vulnerable' to improve the nutrition of more infants.

According to Seoul City on the 29th, the Nutrition Plus Project is a customized nutrition management program that improves nutritional issues for mothers and babies through balanced nutrition intake. For infants and young children (under 72 months) and pregnant women with nutritional problems such as anemia and growth retardation, dedicated nutritionists at public health centers provide monthly nutrition education and counseling, and regularly supply supplementary foods.

Since the project's inception in 2009, Seoul City has secured additional city funds beyond national support as part of low birthrate countermeasures, enabling nearly twice the number of mothers and babies compared to those covered by national funding to receive customized nutrition management.

In particular, to expand nutrition management for infants during the weaning period this year, Seoul City signed a 'Korean Beef Baby Food Support Project Agreement' with the National Korean Beef Association in August and is actively providing Korean beef worth 200 million KRW. From September 30 to December, Korean beef for baby food will be supplied once a month, four times in total, to infants aged 6 to 12 months during the period when iron received from the mother is depleted, supplying iron and protein to support healthy growth and development.

Last year, as a result of providing intensive nutrition management services to 12,568 pregnant women and infants with nutritional problems, the anemia rate among participants decreased by 8.5%, the growth retardation rate by 11.3%, and the poor nutritional intake rate by 40.7%. Hemoglobin test results showed that the anemia rate dropped from 24.5% before the project to 16.0% after, and the growth retardation rate due to short stature and low weight decreased from 33.4% before to 22.1% after the project. Notably, the poor nutritional intake rate, determined by nutritional status surveys as insufficient nutrient intake, fell from 86.3% before the project to 45.6% after.

Park Yu-mi, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau, said, “In the ultra-low birthrate era, it is as important to support children born to grow into healthy adults as it is to increase the number of births. Seoul City will strengthen 'walking with the vulnerable' in addressing children's nutritional issues and make multifaceted efforts to improve nutrition problems among infants and young children.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.