Medium-term assessments andinvestigations of the national working group of experts evaluating the Actionto Eliminate Anemia among Infants and Children Project from October 2012 toNovember 2012 have been released. The first batch of trial counties includedXiushanCountyof southwestChina’sChongqingMunicipality,PingtangCountyof southwestChina’sGuizhouProvince,PuchengCountyof northwestChina’sShaanxiProvinceand Yuanzhou District inGuyuanCityof northwestChina’s Ningxia Hui AutonomousRegion. The team conducted random checks among 1,400 infants from 6 months to36 months old who had benefited from the program, to see the effect of thenutrition packages.A survey has also been conductedamong parents whose children have benefited from the program, to learn aboutthe results of health education given to them.

The assessment report says theprevalence of anemia among infants has decreased by five percent on average andin Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region by ten percent. More than 70 percent of theparents have learned of the benefits of the nutrition packages, and 40 percent haveknown cooking methods for fortified food that promise to fight anemia. Seventypercent of the parents say their children's health has improved, 57.3 percentchildren are sleeping better, 48.7 percent have become active, while 38.4percent have had a ruddy complexion, and five percent are eating more.

The group will include new groups ofchildren and infants of the right ages among the beneficiaries of the project.They will also stimulate the enthusiasm of grassroots staff and strengthencooperation between women’s federations and hygiene departments.

The Action to Eliminate Infant Anemia was jointly launched by theAll-China Women's Federation (ACWF),China's Ministry of Health andChina Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) in 2011. It aims to reduce infantanemia by providing nutrition packages to infants in poverty-stricken areas andlaunching health education among parents.