Bangalore, 04th December 2024: Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than two billion people globally, with nearly half living in India. A 2021 study revealed that the average Indian diet meets only 70% or less of essential nutrient requirements, with critical deficiencies in calcium, iodine, and iron, with the remaining 30% of nutrient needs needing to be complemented, e.g. with supplementation. To tackle this widespread gap in nutrition, Bayer partnered with reach52, a last-mile health tech social enterprise, to launch its Nutrient Gap Initiative in 2023. As a part of the initiative, they launched a health campaign to enhance awareness among the underserved communities in peri-urban and rural areas, on the importance of attaining 100% nutrition, through diverse diet and essential supplementation.
The pilot projects of the campaign in Karnataka (Chikkabalapur, Bangalore) and Uttar Pradesh (Mirzapur) engaged over 80,000 residents (47,432 in Karnataka, 33,895 in Uttar Pradesh). The campaign started with research to understand the community knowledge and behavior on dietary diversity, supplement usage, and their potential links to health outcomes.
Key findings from the pilot:
- The greatest majority of residents across Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh believe that their diet provides all the necessary nutrients (93% in Karnataka and 75% in Uttar Pradesh), despite assessment showing that most of them have insufficient dietary diversity (87% in Karnataka, 79% in Uttar Pradesh), and do not use supplements (83% in Karnataka, 66% in Uttar Pradesh). The belief is even more pronounced in Uttar Pradesh among those who lack diet diversity (77%) or are malnourished (93%), signifying a clear gap in diet and nutrition knowledge.
- Karnataka residents experienced fatigue and productivity loss (six to seven workdays lost due to poor health, i.e., sickness, not feeling well) (40%), physical (35%) and mental (26%) health issues in the past month. Residents who lacked dietary diversity, did not use supplements were on average nearly twice as likely to experience any of those issues compared to those who use supplements and maintain sufficient dietary diversity. Yet, very few residents (7%) identified poor diet or nutrition as a possible cause, confirming the gap in awareness.
- In Uttar Pradesh, residents experienced fatigue and productivity loss (23%), physical (45%) and mental (21%) health issues. While dietary diversity did not show much difference in prevalence, residents who did not use supplements were more likely to experience physical and mental health issues compared to those who use supplements, showing the importance of ensuring 100% nutrition beyond diet. Poor diet or nutrition (23%) were identified as a perceived cause for fatigue and productivity loss after lack of exercise and sleep.
- Traditional diets in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh lack sufficient protein, essential fats, vitamins (C and B12), and minerals (calcium, iron, and zinc), which can be covered through improved diet diversity and supplementation.
- Post engagement, residents in Karnataka who adopted supplementation observed a broad range of physical and mental health benefits, especially increased energy levels (63%), as well as stronger immunity, improved mood, better skin health, and improved digestion (~30% across all).
- Farmers in Chikkaballapur were more likely to experience fatigue and productivity loss (79%), physical (61%) and mental (56%) health issues than non-farmers (45%, 42% and 30% respectively). They also showed lack of diet diversity (91%), little use of supplementation (90% non-users), while only 6% identified poor diet and nutrition as a potential cause to their experiences. The gap between awareness and health impact has broader implications on nutrition as it impacts the farmers’ ability to produce the food that feeds the country.
Based on these insights, Bayer and reach52 developed tailored educational content, delivered through trusted community health workers. These workers were trained to engage effectively with residents and conduct door-to-door outreach, screenings, and training sessions.
Sandeep Verma, Country Head for India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka at Bayer Consumer Health, said, “India is a priority for our global Nutrient Gap Initiative due to the high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, that significantly impacts overall economic productivity. We want to help India achieve 100% nutrition through our expertise in nutritional health, including essential supplements and sustainable food production. Our pilot projects in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh have shown initial positive shifts in attitudes towards nutrition, but we still see a major gap in awareness of the importance of 100% nutrition and how to achieve it. Based on the learnings, we will further intensify our efforts to address micronutrient deficiencies by extending our partnership with reach52 to reach 50,000 residents across Uttar Pradesh by the end of 2025, with specific indices to measure improvement in awareness levels and nutritional status.”
Vivek Verma, CEO, reach52 India, said, “Our partnership with Bayer allowed us the opportunity to do our bit towards “Healthier India” by addressing the nutrition behavior gap and we feel grateful for this opportunity to serve the nation.”
Globally, Bayer works with multiple partners to enable access to essential vitamins and minerals for people in underserved communities. Since 2020, Bayer has helped over 16 million pregnant women and their babies globally gain access to prenatal micronutrient supplements through its strategic partnership with Vitamin Angels. Through its partnership with reach52, Bayer has trained 1,300+ community health workers in bespoke nutrition education programs, from food to supplementation, who have engaged directly with 150,000 beneficiaries so far across India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa. Bayer has also established a partnership with HarvestPlus, a global network organization working to make nutritious food accessible to people across the planet, addressing hidden hunger.