NEON (Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition) is a participatory female health volunteer-led intervention to promote healthy nutrition in children of Bangladeshi origin in East London, who have a higher risk of diabetes, obesity and heart disease in later life than the average child in the UK.
Childhood nutrition can impact adult health status and the likelihood of chronic diseases such as diabetes as well as oral health complications – making it important to act early to prevent long term problems.
NEON used a proven model from South Asia where the introduction of female health workers into local women’s groups has significantly improved maternal and neonatal survival rates.
A new short film highlights the impact of the NEON approach in local communities, and the improvements it has made to nutrition and feeding practices.
