Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP)
Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP)
Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), a regional nutritional research and development agency located in Guatemala City. Representatives of the five Central American countries plus Panama met in 1946 under the auspices of the Pan-American Health Organization to consider regional health problems. They decided to create a cooperative organization to work on common nutritional problems. The government of Guatemala agreed to erect the building to house the institute, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation provided funds for staff-development scholarships and for initial equipment, and the Pan-American Health Organization gave administrative support. Money for continuing operating costs was provided by member countries and by supporting international agencies.
INCAP was inaugurated on 15 September 1949. Its program has included the study of nutritional problems in the region, the search for solutions to those problems, and assistance to the member countries in implementing those solutions. One of INCAP's major successes has been the introduction of iodized salt to counter a widespread incidence of goiter. A high-protein, child-feeding supplement called Incaparina was developed with private manufacturers. Other programs have focused on vitamin A deficiencies and on child survival techniques. INCAP has been a leader in studying the nutritional status of specific populations and the relationship between prenatal and postnatal malnutrition and the development of children, including learning and behavior.
See alsoNutrition .
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nevin S. Scrimshaw and Moisés Behar, eds., Symposium on Nutrition and Agricultural and Economic Development in the Tropics (1976).
Incap, Desarrollo del proceso de planificación multisectorial de la alimentación y nutrición en Centro America y Panama (1979).
Additional Bibliography
Cueto, Marcus. El valor de la salud: historia de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Washington, DC: OPS, 2004.
Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama. How INCAP Supports Maternal and Child Health in Central America. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2005.
LaForgia, Gerard M. Health System Innovations in Central America: Lessons and Impact of New Approaches. Washington, DC: USAID, 2005.
León, Arturo. Pobreza, hambre y seguridad alimentaria en Centroamérica y Panamá. Santiago: CEPAL, División de Desarrollo Social, 2004.
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health in Central America: Trends and Challenges facing Women and Children: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua. Guatemala City: The Institute, 1992.
David L. Jickling