Chronic malnutrition remains a significant public health threat despite improvements in this regard over the years such as halving the prevalence of underweight and wasted among children under five years. Ghana has made great progress toward achieving a number of malnutrition targets, particularly for children and women who are of reproductive age, according to the 2022 Global Nutrition Report. The nation is making steady progress toward achieving the objective for stunting (17.5%) and the target for wasting (6.8%) among children under the age of five. However, Ghana is making only modest progress toward meeting the objective for obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to the rising prevalence of NCD during the past few decades.
Household food and nutrition security, which is unevenly distributed throughout the nation, is a significant underlying factor that contributes to the double disease burden associated with malnutrition in Ghana. Currently, rural and peri-urban communities across the nation, as well as northern Ghana, have the highest rates of malnutrition. This is explained by, among other things, the stark differences in food and nutrition security between the northern and southern regions of the nation as well as between rural and urban areas.
As food and nutrition professionals, recognizing the role food and nutrition security play in escalating or mitigating the major antecedent of our practice – malnutrition (over-, and under-nutrition)
To attain the food and nutrition related SDG goals, the dietetic and nutrition professional, in practice, academia, and research, should recognize the role food and nutrition security play in escalating or mitigating the major antecedent of our practice – malnutrition (over-, and under-nutrition). Additionally, there should be deliberate and increase efforts at prioritizing the incorporation of beneficial food and nutrition security programs into the production, fortification, complementation, and consumption of staple and indigenous food. With the right approach and attitude, the benefits of nutrition security which is paramount in the preservation of nutritious indigenous foods that promote sustainable and healthy food systems can hugely determines how we successfully prevent and/manage nutrition related diseases in Ghana and on the continent.
Objectives
The Conference of Nutrition and Dietetics (COND), 2023 plan to highlight the role food and nutrition security plays in our efforts as nutrition professional to improve the nutritional health of Ghanaians; and more importantly, commit to implement a program/project that will improve the countries food and nutrition security, and chronic disease outlook in the next five years.
The objectives of COND-2023 are;
- To explore the food and nutrition security, and related double disease burden situation in Ghanavand on the African continent.
- To assess the impact of food security on the incidence and management of nutrition related diseases of Ghanaians and Africans at all levels of the socio-demographic strata.
- To equip the nutrition and dietetic professional on the effective evaluation of food security andhow its impacting on efforts at preventing and/or managing the double disease burden at the national and individual level.
- To portray GAND, and the dietetic and nutrition professional as the experts in helping Ghana and Africa meet their food and nutrition related SDG goals.
Output
- Highlight food and nutrition security in the nutrition assessment, planning, and evaluation of nutrition invention programs aimed at preventing and/or managing the double disease burden at the national and individual level
- Evaluate existing national intervention programs on food and nutrition security, and where needed provide leadership in redesigning, implementing, and monitoring such programs
- Develop a five (5) year project aimed at improving nutrition-related target through the improvement of food and nutrition security in Ghana
Target Audience
Experts and practitioners in Nutrition and Dietetic, Food Production, Food Science and Technology, Agriculture, Collaborating Institutions and Organization championing food and nutrition security, and the general public are being targeted for COND-2023. At least 500 local participants, and 50 international participants expected to attend the Conference
Date and Venue of COND-2023
- Tuesday, 17th – Friday, 20th October, 2023 is the proposed date for the COND.
- The Conference facilities of the Business School, KNUST in Kumasi, has been chosen to host the COND-2023. Being the capital city of one of the major food basket regions in Ghana, Kumasi has rich cultural and tourist attractions which will appeal to targeted audience.
Conference format
COND 2023, with be a mix of traditional scientific conference formats, and public and social events. Major activities of the conference will include:
- A public engagement in the form of a public lecture and outreach programs at selected senior high schools.
- Conference Opening Ceremony
- Plenary Sessions and Seminars
- Panel Discussions and Breakout Workshop Session
- Abstract presentations (Oral and Poster)
- Visits to selected cultural and tourist sites
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
· A communique of output of the conference on key highlights of COND-2023 will be disseminated via all media platforms in a form of policy briefs, news items and commentaries, for both local and international news agency.
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