The Institute of National Affairs (INA), in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) hosted a research seminar on correlates of child growth outcomes (stunting) in rural Papua New Guinea on September 18th, 2024, at the Grand Papua Hotel in Port Moresby, to discuss insights from the recently collected anthropometric data collected during the 2023 PNG Rural Household Survey.
The seminar was attended by key stakeholders from the Government of PNG, particularly from the Department of Agriculture (DAL), the Secretary, Dr. Sergie Bang, DAL Advisors Robyn Ekstrom and David Thompson, DAL Food Security Branch Director, Mr. Brown Konabe, Mr. Kaminiel Irima from the Department of Education; Mr. Scott Needham, Managing Director of AGRIMAR PNG, Ms. Jessica Raneri Nutrition-Sensitive Advisor to both the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR), Professor Georgia Guldan, School of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), Ms. Majoree Andrew from APEP- Abt Associates, Mr. Allan Oliver from the World Bank, Mr. Sylvester Huafolo and Mr. Reuben Mondo of PNG Sustainable Development Program, Mr. Paul Barker, Ms. Mary Boni, Mr. Yauka Liria, Mr. Tuare Gaudi, Mr. Koim Kumbamong, Dr. John Konam of INA and those that joined virtually, Robin Hide, Caroline Holo, Alma Tararia, Ning Fu, Martin Davies.
Mr. Paul Barker, Executive Director, INA, delivered the opening remarks, welcoming the attendees by providing a background about the rural household survey. He stressed the importance of data collection initiatives in informing policy dialogue and guiding investment decisions in PNG. He also highlighted IFPRI’s ongoing work in PNG since 2018 and acknowledged their efforts in using the 2023 dataset to shed light on child growth outcomes and nutritional status in rural PNG.
Harry Gimiseve and Rishabh Mukerjee shared details on the IFPRI Papua New Guinea Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Policy Support Country Program 2024-2028 (AFNP). Their presentation focused on the prevalence and correlates of stunting among children under five years of age in rural PNG. Approximately 36% of children under 5 years old in the rural survey sample are stunted in their growth (or too short for their age) compared to the WHO international growth standard. Controlling for other socio-economic factors, the analysis reveals that higher educational attainment, greater calorie consumption, effective water treatment methods, better toilet infrastructure, and the biological mother's height positively influence a child's Height-for-Age Z-score (HAZ), implying children are less likely to be too short for their age.
Dr. Bang opened the general discussion by acknowledging the findings and emphasizing the need for increased collaboration among government departments and development partners to implement programs aimed at reducing stunting rates within the country linking his statement to implementing strategies mentioned in DAL’s National Agriculture Sector Plan (2024-2033). He suggested introducing interventions focused on improving nutrition through protein consumption and school-feeding programs. Mr. Barker mentioned the importance of School Garden programs linked with school feeding, nutrition and curriculum in PNG. He said that school principals face the challenge of integrating nutritious school feeding due to the limited funding. Mr. Irima expressed that children in PNG are still attending school at a late age because of the lack of mothers or care givers’ education on nutrition. Mr. Liria of INA contributed to the discussion by underlining the importance of involving men into initiatives promoting better health outcomes for women and children. Mr. Konabe mentioned he would like to see correlations between women’s income, gender and stunting and highlighted the significance of nutrition extension services, effective WASH investments and access to education in reducing malnutrition. Mr. Kumbamong added that as one of the enumerators in the survey, households lacked basic education on nutrition and WASH. Professor Guldan highlighted the demonstrated negative effects of malnourished mothers on child growth. Ms. Raneri Nutrition- Sensitive Advisor, discussed the concept of the first 1000 days of a child’s life as a key point to target improved food consumption and nutrition practices.
The seminar was concluded by discussing and sharing a link to the 2023 PNG Rural Household Survey graphing tool with the attendees, allowing users to visually explore anthropometric data and other specific data on rural livelihoods and welfare by study area and economic status. For more information on IFPRI’s publications, blogs and data sets related to PNG, please visit the IFPRI-PNG website.
