Sri Lanka nutritional and health surveillance feasibility study

480 Title III program on food security in Sri Lanka. Currently it is not clear whether nutritional standards in Sri Lanka have been improving or declining, not because there are no cross-sectional data, but because of difficulties with comparing data obtained from different surveys. Although the government has conducted three national nutritional status surveys since 1975, methods and survey forms have not been standardized. Moreover, because these "benchmark" surveys are very large, the results are not published in a timely manner, and therefore do not contribute as much to policy formulation and decisionmaking as they should. A further problem is that no cross-sectional data are collected on child health and nutrition between the "benchmark" surveys, which are conducted once in 5-6 years. This study outlines the components of a survey system for monitoring nutritional and health status, detecting changes over time, and relating these changes to socioeconomic, demographic, agroecological, and other factors. The survey is designed to be easily implemented and cost-effective, and to yield published results for planners and policymakers quickly. It essentially entails carrying out a survey of 2,000 randomly selected households twice a year (a frequency which allows analysis of the influence of seasonal factors, such as rainfall, prices, food supply, and certain infections, on nutritional status). Moreover, the specific sampling design and methodology will allow the survey results to be compared with those of the larger "benchmark" surveys. (Author abstract, modified)