The Spoon Foundation's cutting-edge digital health app, Count Me In, is making waves in the global fight against malnutrition and feeding difficulties in children. Specifically designed for caregivers of children with disabilities or those living in residential care, this app provides a comprehensive, data-driven approach to tackling these issues. By aligning its objectives with UN Global Goal 2 - Zero Hunger, Count Me In aims to ensure that even the most vulnerable children have access to the nutrition they need for healthy development.
Count Me In is an integral tool for those who have completed SPOON’s nutrition and feeding training. It features three core modules—mealtime, growth, and anemia—each offering educational content, assessment tools, and tailored intervention recommendations. These modules work together to create an individualized care plan for each child, ensuring that their unique nutritional needs are met.
Mealtime module: Addressing feeding difficulties
The mealtime module focuses on identifying and addressing feeding difficulties. Users are guided through a screening process to detect specific issues, with the app recommending interventions related to positioning, safety, efficiency, skill-building, and social development. For children with disabilities, the app offers specialized techniques to improve feeding outcomes, ensuring that mealtime becomes a safe and effective part of their daily routine.
Growth module: Monitoring and promoting healthy development
Growth monitoring is crucial in preventing malnutrition. The app maintains an individualized schedule for each child, prompting caregivers to track various measurements. Results are plotted on the World Health Organization’s growth charts, with sophisticated logic interpreting the data. Any concerning measurements are flagged, prompting caregivers to schedule follow-up assessments, thereby ensuring timely intervention.
Anemia module: Combating iron-deficiency anemia
Iron-deficiency anemia, a prevalent form of malnutrition, is addressed through the app's anemia module. Count Me In guides caregivers through anemia screenings, providing instructions for measuring hemoglobin and interpreting the results. If a child is found to be anemic, the app recommends supplementation and schedules follow-up screenings, ensuring that this easily treatable condition does not go unaddressed.
Since its launch, Count Me In has been implemented at 99 sites across 12 countries, including Belarus, Vietnam, and Zambia. Translated into five languages, the app has enabled caregivers to perform over 20,000 assessments for more than 3,500 children as of autumn 2022. This extensive dataset highlights the feeding and nutrition needs of a uniquely vulnerable population, allowing for targeted interventions that can significantly improve health outcomes.
Count Me In is a powerful tool in the pursuit of UN Global Goal 2 - Zero Hunger. By addressing malnutrition and feeding challenges in children, particularly those with disabilities or in residential care, the app contributes to the broader objective of ending hunger and ensuring access to nutritious food for all. Proper nutrition is a fundamental right and a critical component of sustainable development. The Spoon Foundation’s efforts through Count Me In are a testament to the importance of leveraging technology to achieve these global goals.
Count Me In stands out as a pioneering solution in the realm of child nutrition and feeding. By providing tailored interventions and comprehensive monitoring, it ensures that the nutritional needs of some of the most vulnerable children are met, thereby contributing to the global fight against hunger and malnutrition. The Spoon Foundation’s innovative approach exemplifies how technology can be harnessed to create significant, positive change in the world.
More information: https://www.spoonfoundation.org/what-we-do/digital-health-app/
Youtube credits: https://www.youtube.com/@spoonchannel5919