NEW SET OF IMPLEMENTATION NOTES ON IMPROVING COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING IN INDIA
Source: UNICEF
In May 2015, POSHAN, together with Alive & Thrive requested a call for abstracts on examples of promising programs that have attempted to improve the quality of young children’s diets in India.
A panel of expert reviewers chose nine of the submitted abstracts. POSHAN and Alive & Thrive are pleased to launch these today as a set of new Implementation Notes on the POSHAN website.
The use of mid media and behavior change communication messages by frontline workers to educate rural women about improved feeding is the focus of two of the notes:
- Building the Capacity of Frontline Workers to Improve IYCF Practices among Marginalized Communities in Odisha
- Buniyaad: Foundation for a Healthy Child
The creation of community-managed centers and programs to help mothers achieve optimal feeding practices coupled with efforts to change nutrition behaviors are the main focus of three of the notes:
- Strategies for Improving Complementary Feeding Practices in Informal Settlements of Mumbai
- Improving Complementary Feeding through Community-Based Management of Malnutrition in Rural India
- Complementary Feeding in Community-Based Rehabilitation Centers in Madhya Pradesh
Strengthening public and private health centers to offer counseling for pregnant and lactating mothers on complementary feeding practices is the focus of two of the notes:
- Implementing IYCF Counseling Centers in Bihar
- Combating Mixed Messages: Promoting Complementary Feeding in Mumbai’s Slums
Two of the notes show how existing self-help groups can be harnessed to support women to improve feeding practices:
- Improving Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices through Self-Help Groups in Bihar: The Experience of the Parivartan Initiative
- Using Participatory Learning and Action to Empower Women's Groups to Improve Feeding Practices in Madhya Pradesh.
All of the experiences show promising approaches to improving feeding practices, yet point to the need for more rigorous evaluation to better understand what are the most cost-effective options for improving nutrition among the wide range of diverse communities in India.
