Nutrition Surveillance Systems Strengthening and Data Use for Decision-Making in Kaduna State, North West Nigeria

Nutrition surveillance data are essential for programme planning, resource allocation, and outbreak detection, yet the capacity of state nutrition surveillance systems in North West Nigeria to generate, analyse, and apply data for decision-making remains limited. This study assesses the status of nutrition surveillance systems in Kaduna State and identifies the bottlenecks that impede timely and accurate data use for decision-making. A systems assessment design is applied, using the WHO Nutrition Surveillance Assessment Toolkit adapted for the Nigerian primary healthcare context. Data collection combines key informant interviews with 40 nutrition programme managers, community health workers, and local government health officers, review of Kaduna State's nutrition surveillance documentation and Health Management Information System records, and a structured facility assessment at 30 primary healthcare centres. Quantitative data are summarised descriptively in Excel and SPSS, while qualitative findings undergo framework analysis. Nigeria's 2022 National Nutrition Surveillance Report identifies Kaduna State as experiencing significant gaps in community-level weight-for-height measurement frequency and district data aggregation timeliness. The Integrated Nutrition Information System framework and the WHO Data Quality Review tool inform the assessment approach. Findings will support Kaduna State's Nutrition Division in producing a prioritised surveillance system strengthening plan, targeting data collection infrastructure, training frequency, and data use advocacy for programme managers. Keywords: nutrition surveillance, data use, decision-making, system strengthening, Kaduna State.