UP rolls out ‘Six Months, Seven Times’ strategy to track infant nutrition

Core strategy of “Six Months, Seven Times” ensures that infants aged 0–6 months receive nutritional assessments and health check-ups at seven critical intervals

The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a comprehensive and phased action plan through Sambhav Abhiyan 5.0, to eliminate malnutrition among mothers and children.

(File photo for representation only)

Running from July to September, the campaign “Six Months, Seven Times” has been divided into three theme-based months. July focuses on maternal nutrition, ensuring timely access to iron-folic acid, health check-ups, and nutritious food for expectant and nursing mothers. August emphasizes newborn care, breastfeeding awareness, and nurturing best practices for infants up to 6 months old. September is dedicated to complementary feeding, during which parents are trained on when and how to introduce solid foods to infants.

The core strategy of “Six Months, Seven Times” ensures that infants aged 0–6 months receive nutritional assessments and health check-ups at seven critical intervals. This proactive approach enables the timely identification of severely malnourished children, who are then referred to nutrition rehabilitation centres or provided with community-based treatment.

On July 15, a statewide anti-stunting drive was launched under Sambhav Abhiyan, targeting 100 Anganwadi centres in each of the 75 districts, locations with the highest reported cases of stunting. Children aged 0–5 are being systematically screened for stunting, undernutrition, and other developmental issues. So far, 9.8 lakh children have been assessed at 7,500 identified Anganwadi centres, each monitored by a dedicated nodal officer to ensure transparency and quality of care.

A key strength of the campaign is its real-time data monitoring system, enabled through mobile apps used by Anganwadi workers. This fosters seamless coordination between the Health and Women Welfare Departments. Monitoring has been institutionalised from the village to the district level, with tools such as the Nutrition Mission Room supporting data analysis and enabling timely decision-making.

More than 60,000 women’s self-help groups are involved in distributing nutrition across the state. At the same time, community engagement is being strengthened through initiatives such as Nutrition Fortnight, Mother Committees, and community meetings.

Districts such as Shravasti, Varanasi, Unnao, Farrukhabad, and Chandauli have demonstrated remarkable improvements. Anganwadi workers here have gone beyond their conventional roles, emerging as agents of social change. Their efforts during Sambhav Abhiyan 4.0 earned them recognition from the state government.

These initiatives have led to significant improvements: child stunting has dropped by 6.5%, underweight cases by 7.5%, and anaemia among pregnant women by 5.2%. Institutional deliveries now exceed 84%. Under the Supplementary Nutrition Scheme, over 2.12 crore children and mothers have benefitted across the state.