USAID Advancing Nutrition develops, curates, packages, and shares multi-sectoral nutrition knowledge to help you stay on top of developments and evidence in global nutrition programming.
Permettre une meilleure alimentation complémentaire : Guide et cahier d'exercices
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderComplementary Feeding
Un changement social et comportemental (CSC) est nécessaire pour améliorer toutes les composantes de l’alimentation des jeunes enfants : une alimentation adéquate, des services adéquats et des pratiques alimentaires adéquates. Ce manuel met en évidence les défis et les exemples spécifiques au CSC de qualité pour améliorer l'alimentation complémentaire.
Food Taboos and Preferences in Women of Reproductive Age and Children Under Two in Mainland Tanzania
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningMicronutrient Interventions
This report presents the findings from a qualitative, formative research study on the food preferences of and cultural/religious prohibitions for women of reproductive age, children 6–23 months, and adolescent girls in selected regions of mainland Tanzania.
Integrating Complementary Feeding in Emergencies: A Decision Tool for Concrete Actions at Each Stage of the Humanitarian Program Cycle
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsComplementary FeedingEmergency NutritionInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)Program Design
This decision tool is intended for those involved in the design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of a nutrition humanitarian response before and during an emergency.
Behavioral Design to Inform Social and Behavior Change for Nutrition
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Social and Behavior Change and GenderInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
This e-learning course offers a practical introduction to behavioral science and behavioral design and explains how to apply these approaches to nutrition efforts. A case study illustrates the behavioral design process and guides participants to assess whether and how the solutions presented can be adapted to other contexts.
Stronger with Breastmilk Only Initiative in 5 African Countries: Case Study on the Implementation Process and Contribution to the Enabling Environment for Breastfeeding
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Social and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeeding
The Stronger with Breastmilk Only Initiative has contributed to progress in legislation and policies, coordination, funding, training, program delivery, and research and evaluation.
Peer Counselling as an Approach to Improve Complementary Feeding Practices: A Narrative Review
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Social and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingComplementary FeedingMicronutrient InterventionsWater, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
This review finds that peer counseling was effective for breastfeeding, complementary feeding, minimum meal frequency, and minimum dietary diversity. These findings may inform future programs to extend the length of peer counseling for mothers.
Opportunities and Barriers for Maternal Nutrition Behavior Change: An In-Depth Qualitative Analysis of Pregnant Women and their Families in Uttar Pradesh, India
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Social and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingMaternal NutritionMicronutrient Interventions
This research finds that in India, health worker home visits, convenient transportation, and family support facilitated antenatal care checkups and maternal weight-gain monitoring, but limited motivation and understanding of the importance of checkups represent obstacles to such care.
Rapid Assessments of the Hunger–Climate–Conflict Nexus in Mali, Somalia, and South Sudan
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsEmergency Nutrition
This report reviews a project aimed at improving the nutritional status of crisis-affected populations in seven countries. The goal is to identify better ways for aid agencies to address the compounding impacts of long-term fragile governance and conflict and recurring shocks on resilience and food security.
Policy Brief: Kakamega County, Demonstrating the Value of Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Investments in Kakamega County
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsWastingAdolescent NutritionChild NutritionInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)Maternal NutritionMicronutrient Interventions
Leaders and stakeholders in Kakamega County, Kenya, used a multi-sectoral nutrition (MSN) approach to set priority targets for the scale-up of interventions over the next five years. They developed a scorecard that defines targets for each intervention, and includes a monitoring and accountability framework, and outlines the costs of interventions.
ST4N Impact Report: Fighting for Global Nutrition in an Era of Crises: Impact Report | 2020–2022
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsAdolescent NutritionChild NutritionCOVID-19Food SecurityFood SystemsGenderMaternal Nutrition
This report summarizes accomplishments of the Standing Together for Nutrition Consortium, included modeling the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on child and maternal nutrition, developing evidence-based recommendations for nutrition policy and funding, advocating for gender-transformative policies, analyzing and reporting on the impact of the war in Ukraine, and measuring the impact of the glo
Arm Circumference for Age, Arm Circumference and Weight-for-Height Z-Score for the Evaluation of Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
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Nutrition in Humanitarian ContextsWasting
Adjusting mid-upper arm circumference for age (MUACZ) improves identification of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. However, using MUACZ can be more complicated than using weight-for-height Z-scores in the field, so it is important to identify easier ways to use this method. This is a pre-print of a manuscript.
WHO Guideline on the Prevention and Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (Acute Malnutrition)
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Nutrition and Health SystemsWasting
Speakers discuss new recommendations for the management of infants at risk of poor growth and development and children with wasting and nutritional edema. This is a webinar. It is available in English, French, and Spanish. An audio recording available in Arabic.
Normative Guidance: WHO Guideline on the Prevention and Management of Wasting and Nutritional Oedema (Acute Malnutrition) in Infants and Children Under 5 Years
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Nutrition and Health SystemsWasting
The guideline focuses on the management of infants under six months of age at risk of poor growth and development as well as infants and children ages 6–59 months with wasting and/or nutritional edema. It includes post-exit interventions after recovery and prevention strategies.
Strengthening Counseling through Improved Tools for Health Workers
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Nutrition and Health SystemsInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)Maternal NutritionNutrition Assessment, Counseling, and Support (NACS)
This brief discusses the importance of quality tools to support counseling for nutrition and nurturing care and shares tools that can improve client and provider relationships, counseling behaviors, and counselor workloads.
Strengthening Counseling Capacity Through Supportive Supervision and Mentorship
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Nutrition and Health SystemsInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)Maternal NutritionNutrition Assessment, Counseling, and Support (NACS)
This brief highlights the importance of capacity strengthening approaches to the provision of quality counseling. It shares lessons learned from efforts to use supportive supervision and mentoring to address health worker needs and provide high quality nutrition services.
How A Digital Tool May Help Health Workers Improve Growth Monitoring and Promotion and Reduce Malnutrition
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Nutrition and Health SystemsGrowth Monitoring and Promotion
USAID Advancing Nutrition developed this guidance package to support the development of a digital tool for growth monitoring and promotion. The package compiles recommendations for growth monitoring and promotion service delivery and business processes and workflows for delivering and supervising these services.
Lessons Learned in Implementing the Low Birthweight Infant Feeding Exploration Study: A Large, Multi-Site Observational Study
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Nutrition and Health SystemsCOVID-19Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
Results of research from India, Tanzania, and Malawi showed that hospital-level guidelines and the provision of care for moderately low birthweight infants varied across and within countries. The study supports evidence-based planning of large-scale interventions. Multi-site partnerships in global health research are critical to avoid duplication and build a stronger evidence base.
Validation of Mobile Artificial Intelligence Technology–Assisted Dietary Assessment Tool Against Weighed Records and 24-Hour Recall in Adolescent Females in Ghana
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningAdolescent Nutrition
The Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) AI–assisted dietary assessment accurately estimated nutrient intakes compared with weighed records. These estimates were at least as accurate as those collected through 24-hour recall. Further improvements in food recognition and portion estimation using FRANI could reduce errors and improve nutrient intake estimations.
Haemoglobin Diagnostic Cut-Offs for Anaemia in Indian Women of Reproductive Age
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningAnemiaMicronutrient Interventions
This research suggests persistently high rates of anemia could be partially related to overdiagnosis due to an inappropriately high hemoglobin diagnostic cut-off.
Effect of Prenatal Micronutrient-Fortified Balanced Energy-Protein Supplementation on Maternal and Newborn Body Composition: A Sub-Study from the MISAME-III Randomized Controlled Efficacy Trial in Rural Burkina Faso
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningMaternal NutritionMicronutrient Interventions
In Burkina Faso, research on maternal and newborn body composition found that micronutrient-fortified balanced energy-protein supplementation during pregnancy can increase maternal and newborn fat-free mass index without a significant effect on fat-mass index.