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Celebrity Doctor's Start-up – ‘Dr. Dad’ has partnered with Icare Noble, an NGO and is working at street level to combat malnutrition in India

Founder(s) Dr. Gaurav Nigam
Date of Establishment 01st December 2019
Industrial Sector Healthcare
Headquarter New Delhi
Presence PAN India
Awards and Recognition -National Gaurav Award 2017' for his contribution in the field of education and childcare
- Authored a non-fiction book titled 'Devil Inside My Mind' which is a bestseller in non-fiction category for year 2016
-'Innovative Research Excellence Award 2019' at Asian Leadership Summit held at Thimphu, Bhutan

About Dr. Dad

Dr. Gaurav Nigam has a plethora of credentials to him apart from being a paediatrician. Having gathered his knowledge from prestigious colleges like MGIMS, Wardha; NIMHANS, Kidwai and the Harvard University, he has churned into a multi-dimensional professional.

Currently settled in New Delhi, Dr. Nigam got associated with the WHO on his career journey and is now moving into entrepreneurship with ventures including Icare and Intelligentsia

To keep his connection with the paediatric medicine, he is managing Dr. Nigams clinic. He also has many a papers and articles published to his credits across prestigious journals. He has also been a gold medallist and a vivid social worker.

Dr. Dad’s journey started when Dr. Gaurav Nigam, a celebrity paediatrician became a dad himself and felt that he could help millions just by writing down few articles at the end of the day. Viewers well perceived these efforts, and soon, a personal article went on from being personal to this gigantic project attracting thousands of parents.

While his venture Dr. Dad helps right from planning a pregnancy to being pregnant. From new-born to toddler, from big kid to a teenager. Since, they even provide a platform to all the mothers/women to let them speak about their from pregnancy to parenting experience  they want to share. Their story, their truth, their voice- they just publish it.

Being a parent is definitely one of the best things that can happen to you, and while that is happening, your mind is filled with so many questions. You go on the internet to search for the right answers, and you end up getting more confused.

While it is one of the best things that can happen, Parenting is hard. Period. There is no easy road. No easy solutions. No one perfect way to parent. Yet, it seems everywhere you turn there is another “expert” telling you what you should and should not do with your children and they ALWAYS conflict. So, who are you supposed to turn to when you need to not feel so alone? Where should you look for real parenting advice and stories?

Dr. Dad understand that you need a source of information that comes through a perfect combination of first-hand experience (parents) and back up with a professional word (paediatricians and OBGYN and, of course, so many other doctors and medical staff). That's why they offer generic and personalized advice on every issue related to pregnancy and parenthood.

They also take up the responsibility to review the products being showcased in the market and give their honest reviews and offer an array of tools to simplify life, such as a growth checker for your kid, pregnancy calculator, ovulation date calculator, BMI calculator, Latch score for breastfeeding.

Malnutrition amongst Children in the country

Child malnutrition is a chronic problem and a longstanding challenge for the public administration of India. The first National Family Health Survey (NFHS) in 1992-1993 found that India was one of the worst performing countries on child health indicators.

Despite decades of investment to tackle this malaise, India’s child malnutrition rates are still one of the most alarming in the world. The Global Hunger Index (2020) — which is calculated on the basis of total undernourishment of the population, child stunting, wasting and child mortality — places India at the 94th spot among 107 countries.

With annual gross domestic product growth rates nearing 7% and a population of 1.3 billion people, 65% of whom are younger than 35, India is among the world’s fastest-growing economies. In the coming decades, however, it will be difficult for India to sustain inclusive and sustainable growth, unless it invests in an educated, healthy, and nutritionally secure population.

Malnutrition is a serious public health problem in India: 38% of Indian children under five are stunted and over 50% of women of reproductive age are anaemic. India faces the double burden of undernutrition and obesity: the cases of overweight adults are now almost equal to the number of underweight adults. The biggest driver of this burden is the poor quality of food.

COVID-19 has unleashed a malnutrition crisis, and its impacts – if left unchecked – could compromise millions of the world’s most vulnerable people and unwind hard-won development gains over the past decade. The Indian population, both in rural and urban areas, experiences low consumption of fruits and vegetables, whilst there are increasing trends in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and diets which elevate cholesterol (essentially unhealthy fats) and sodium (too much salt). This is reflected in an increase in overweight rates among the adult population, from 12% in 1999 to 20% in 2016.

These trends are also reflected among children and adolescents shifting from 1.9% to 6.8% respectively over the same time period. Changing these trends will require transforming behaviours and choices of both consumers and businesses.  Improving the Indian food system will be key to transforming the current nutritional challenges that India is facing. The bane of child and maternal malnutrition is responsible for 15 per cent of India’s total disease burden.

According to the data from the fifth round of NFHS (2019-2021) from the 22 states surveyed so far, only nine showed a decline in the number of stunted children, 10 in wasted children and six in underweight children.

The crisis of child malnutrition in India has often been attributed to historical antecedents such as poverty, inequality and food shortage. However, countries with similar historical and societal makeup and comparable per capita income have fared much better, Countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan have been ranked higher than India on the Global Hunger Index at 64th, 73rd, 75th, 78th and 88th spots respectively.

The Role of DDNC to combat Malnutrition in children

To combat malnutrition Dr. Gaurav Nigam launches DDNC (Dr. Dad Nutrition Centre) in the country on this Independence Day (15th August 2021). They have partnered with an NGO named Icare Noble (www.icarenoble.org) and is working at street level to get the nutrition to the people who really need it.

Icare noble was developed by keeping in mind – child welfare. It promised to itself that no child should be deprived of basic amenities. With a tag line “be a reason for a smile”, they are working their way through different regions in India. Launching on the auspicious day of the Indian Independence Day, DDNC strives to counter malnutrition by implementing Food Drives which provides nutritious meals to children.

DDNC is driven by a vision of a world without malnutrition, in which all people have access to and consume nutritious and safe food. Its mission is to advance nutrition outcomes by improving the consumption of nutritious and safe food for all people, especially the most vulnerable to malnutrition.

Why is Nutrition Important for a Child and how should parents go about it?

Getting children to eat healthy foods can sometimes feel like fighting an uphill battle. The leafier and greener the food, the greater the struggle. Nutrition is important at every age; However, children need proper nutrients to stay and grow up healthy and strong. Nutrition for children can also help establish a foundation for healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge that your child can apply throughout life.

In one large survey of kids under age 12, mom and dad ranked highest as their children's nutrition role models - the persons the kids most wanted to be like, nearly 70% of children reported they were likely to talk with mom or dad about nutrition and their body size. According to the survey if mom and dad spent most of their time sitting around watching TV, leading an inactive lifestyle, kids did the same. Trouble is that many parents don't really think of themselves as role models for the kids. Parents expect their kids to do things, like exercise, that they themselves don't do, you can't lie on the couch watching TV, snacking on potato chips - yet tell your child to go outside and get some exercise. It just doesn't work that way.

Therefore, any parent can be a good role model for children's nutrition. Even if you're overweight and having trouble losing it, it's still possible to role model a healthy lifestyle for your child. Studies show that when parents make the effort be model good nutrition for their children, it really does work. One study focused on 114 overweight families, with kids aged 6-12 years old. Like their parents, the kids were overweight. As parents took measures to get into shape, so did their overweight kids. In fact, both parents and kids had similar positive results in weight loss over the five-year study period.

The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. Following some basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight.

Here are few rules to live by:

  • Parents control the supply lines. They decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though kids will pester their parents for less nutritious foods, adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house. Kids won't go hungry. They'll eat what's available in the cupboard and fridge at home. If their favorite snack isn't all that nutritious, you can still buy it occasionally, so they don't feel deprived.
  • From the foods you offer, kids get to choose what they will eat or whether to eat at all. Kids need to have some say in the matter. Schedule regular meal and snack times. From the selections you offer, let them choose what to eat and how much of it they want. This may seem like a little too much freedom. But if you follow step 1, your kids will be choosing only from the foods you buy and serve.
  • Quit the "clean-plate club." Let kids stop eating when they feel they've had enough. Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that approach doesn't help kids listen to their own bodies when they feel full. When kids notice and respond to feelings of fullness, they're less likely to overeat.
  • Start them young, food preferences are developed early in life, so offer variety. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. You may need to serve a new food a few different times for a child to accept it. Don't force a child to eat but offer a few bites. With older kids, ask them to try one bite.
  • Rewrite the kids' menu. Who says kids only want to eat hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese? When eating out, let your kids try new foods and they might surprise you with their willingness to experiment. You can start by letting them try a little of whatever you ordered or ordering an appetizer for them to try.
  • Drink calories count. Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when it's 100%, but kids don't need much of it — 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for pre-schoolers.
  • Put sweets in their place. Occasional sweets are fine, but don't turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. Try to stay neutral about foods.
  • Kids do as you do. Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals.
  • Limit TV and computer time. When you do, you'll avoid mindless snacking and encourage activity. Research has shown that kids who cut down on TV-watching also reduced their percentage of body fat. When TV and computer time are limited, they'll find more active things to do. And limiting "screen time" means you'll have more time to be active together.


Problem of obesity in affluent society and how Can Experts from Dr. Dad help?

Childhood obesity is now an epidemic in India. With 14.4 million obese children, India has the second-highest number of obese children in the world, next to China. The prevalence of overweight and obesity in children is 15%. In private schools catering to upper-income families, the incidence has shot up to 35-40%, indicating a worrying upward trend.

The fundamental cause of childhood obesity is an imbalance between calories consumed and energy spent. Indians are genetically predisposed to obesity. However, the rapid increase in childhood obesity is largely due to environmental influences like less of physical play and more of E-Sports/ use of Technology. Also, the easily available junk food/ Economic prosperity leads to a change in diet from traditional to ‘modern’ foods, rich in fat and sugar. Urbanization leads to an increase in sedentary lifestyles and a decline in physical activity.

Childhood obesity has serious health implications. Obese children are at increased risk of hypertension, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol and triglycerides, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, respiratory problems, emotional disturbances, and some cancers. Two in three obese children will remain obese as adults and at risk for adult lifestyle diseases. India is projected to become the diabetes capital in the world.

Here are few points to keep in mind as a parent -

  • Feed growing children appropriate portion sizes
  • Encourage older children to learn what various portion sizes look like.
  • Build early relationships with healthy foods
  • Eat healthy foods as a family
  • Encourage eating slowly and only when hungry
  • Limit unhealthy foods in the household
  • Incorporate fun and exciting physical activity
  • Limit your child’s screen time
  • Make sure everyone is getting enough sleep
  • Know what your child is eating outside of the home

Therefore, Sample diet charts and continuous articles supplied by experts from Dr. Dad should help parents to solve this problem. The goal of obesity treatment is to reach and stay at a healthy weight. This improves your overall health and lowers your risk of developing complications related to obesity. You may need to work with a team of health professionals — including a dietitian, behavioural counsellor or an obesity specialist — to help you understand and make changes in your eating and activity habits.

Parents can manage the nutritional needs of their child through customized and balanced food plans put together by our Dr. Dad’s planning analyst. The program covers children from 1-16 years of age and it strikes a perfect balance between the child's food preferences and the nutritional needs to help build a strong foundation of health and immunity.

The program focuses on building a strong foundation of health and immunity through the power of balanced nutrition. While kids can be picky eaters, our meal planning analyst will design customized food plans in such a way that it makes healthy eating a fun experience. Several children across the world have benefited from these programs.

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