About the
Micronutrient
Data Innovation
Alliance
The Micronutrient Data Innovation Alliance (DInA) is a diverse member-based coalition dedicated to driving collective action to strengthen micronutrient data systems.
Almost three billion people (~40% of the global population) lack the resources to enjoy a healthy diet. As a result, many of these people have inadequate micronutrient intakes. Micronutrients are critical for maintaining a healthy body, and a lack of micronutrients can lead to health problems including physical disability, impaired growth and brain development, disease, and death.
To address this challenge, the global health community has developed effective, safe, and affordable strategies to help prevent micronutrient deficiency. Despite numerous program and policy successes, progress identifying and addressing micronutrient deficiencies has been uneven and insufficient.
Become a DInA Member
One of the biggest challenges in addressing micronutrient deficiency is an immature data ecosystem.
The current data ecosystem is incomplete, fragmented, and difficult to access. As a result, programs in many low- and middle-income countries are often not designed based on data-driven evidence – if they exist at all.
Without reliable data, governments, health organizations, and providers cannot effectively design and implement nutrition policy and programs, mobilize and focus resources, or monitor progress—ultimately putting vulnerable communities at even greater risk for micronutrient deficiencies.
“Without good data, we’re flying blind. If you can’t see it, you can’t solve it.” – Kofi Annan
DInA helps national leaders make data-driven health policy decisions
DInA, hosted by the Micronutrient Forum, is an alliance of diverse members working to improve the availability, quality, accessibility, and use of micronutrient data across the value chain to support national-level decision-makers to better design, implement, measure, and optimize programs and policies.
We work with our members to:
- Create a platform for knowledge sharing, partner coordination, and collaboration
- Improve the quality of micronutrient-related data by developing standards for data collection and analysis
- Make data more accessible by developing tools and resources to make it easier to find and use data
- Advocate for national investments in data and increase demand
- Strengthen micronutrient data leadership at the national level
- Disseminate the results of global micronutrient data analyses.
Key Papers
The Micronutrient Forum: Micronutrient Data Generation Initiative Strategic Plan
Public Health Nutrition: Basis for changes in the disease burden estimates related to vitamin A and zinc deficiencies in the 2017 and 2019 Global Burden of Disease Studies
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Increasing the availability and utilization of reliable data on population micronutrient (MN) status globally: the MN Data Generation Initiative.
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: Nutrition modeling tools: a qualitative study of influence on policy decision making and determining factors
Bridging the Micronutrient Data Gap
