Nutritional Interventions: Multiple Micronutrient and Vitamin D Supplements during Pregnancy
IBP Network, World Health Organization, and UNICEF, October 2020
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Events
This guideline includes updated recommendations include multiple micronutrient and vitamin D supplement during pregnancy. Viewers must request an invitation to watch this webinar but there is no fee to do so.
Old Tricks, New Opportunities: How Companies Violate the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes and Undermine Maternal and Child Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ching, Constance, Paul Zambrano, Tuan T. Nguyen, et al. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, March 2021
Research Articles
Companies are using health claims and misinformation about breastfeeding (BF) to capitalize on pandemic fears. Proposed immediate actions include using findings to inform World Health Assembly actions, increasing enforcement of International Code violations, and addressing misinformation about BF in the context of the pandemic. Longer-term actions include holding social media platforms accountable, raising public awareness about the International Code, and mobilizing community monitoring.
Online Trainings: Feed the Future Ethiopia Growth through Nutrition Activity
USAID, Tufts University Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Save the Children, n.d.
Reports and Tools
Short online courses focus on strengthening food consumption information systems; environmental enteropathy; sustainable agriculture and the role of livestock; research challenges at the intersection of agriculture, diet, and health; COVID-19 and nutrition; food safety; good governance; and nutrition policy and programs, among others.
Opening the Box on How Gender and Intrahousehold Dynamics Affect What South Asia Eats: Why, How, and Who
International Food Policy Research Institute, March 2023
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
To better understand why people consume the foods they do, this blog examines issues of food access, availability, and affordability; taste and preferences; power dynamics; and whose preferences matter most. It also examines how food is procured and prepared, the challenges of doing so, who decides why certain foods are consumed, and who performs food-related tasks.
Operational Guidance on Nutrition Sectoral/Cluster Coordination in the Context of COVID-19, Version 2.0 of 6th of April 2020
Global Nutrition Cluster, April 2020
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
This document provides guidance for Nutrition Sector/Cluster coordination mechanisms at the national level to adapt core cluster coordination functions and working modalities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Global Nutrition Cluster Coordination team will regularly update the guidance to provide the latest available evidence and information for two possible scenarios: 1) no population mobility restrictions and 2) partial or full population mobility restrictions.
Opinion: Protecting Nature's Perfect Food System
Devex, March 2021
Reports and Tools
Alive & Thrive’s Cost of Not Breastfeeding tool demonstrates the importance of breastfeeding to increase economic productivity and reduce healthcare costs. It also points to the multifaceted approaches required to address social and cultural factors, health care practices and policies, inadequate paid leave policies and legislation, aggressive marketing of breast milk substitutes, knowledge gaps, and inadequate skilled support.
Opportunities and Barriers for Maternal Nutrition Behavior Change: An In-Depth Qualitative Analysis of Pregnant Women and their Families in Uttar Pradesh, India
Jhaveri, Neha R., Natalia E. Poveda, Shivani Kachwaha, et al. Frontiers in Nutrition, July 2023
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
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. While respondents reported high levels of knowledge and awareness of key recommendations for dietary diversity, they cite financial strain and lack of food availability and accessibility as barriers to behavior change. Breastfeeding capability was limited and several participants reported receiving inaccurate counseling messages.
The Opportunities and Risks of Digital Technologies in Nutrition Behaviour Change and Capacity Building (Nutrition in a Digital World, Episode 2)
United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, November 2020
Events
Presenters discuss using mobile phone technology to improve nutrition knowledge and behaviors, delivering e-learning training to frontline nutrition workers, and combating social media misinformation. This is a webinar.
Opportunities to Strengthen Maternal Nutrition Programs within Health Systems — Operational Guidance and Country Perspectives
CORE Group Nutrition Working Group, February 2022
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Events
Presenters present practical guidance for designing, implementing, and strengthening the delivery of maternal nutrition interventions during pregnancy and lactation, and successes, challenges, and priorities for strengthening interventions at the country level. This is a webinar with accompanying materials.
Optimising Child and Adolescent Health and Development
The Lancet, April 2022
- Early Childhood Development
Events
Evidence supports a holistic agenda for child health spanning sexual, reproductive, maternal, childhood, and adolescent health; nutrition; and development. This series shows the importance of greater integration and implementation of evidence-based interventions across health, education, and social systems, as well as breaking down sectoral siloes.
Optimizing Diets by Using Local Foods for Improved Nutrition for Women and Children: A Guide for Resilience Food Security Activity Partners
USAID Advancing Nutrition, December 2023
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
This guide provides resources, workbooks, templates, and tools with instructions on how to optimize the use of local foods to improve women and children’s nutrition and dietary diversity in a given program area. Depending on the program context, you could opt to use a household food-based approach for complementary foods, or a market-driven approach for the production of enriched blended complementary foods.
Organizational Capacity: An Enhanced Framework
USAID MOMENTUM, November 2021
Reports and Tools
This framework considers MOMENTUM’s programmatic interests in performance, resilience, sustainability, adaptive learning, and systems thinking. It focuses on key observable behaviors and practices that drive organizational performance and offers preliminary suggestions for how MOMENTUM and others can use the framework for organizational capacity planning and measurement for a stronger focus on organizational performance.
Panel Discussion: Early Childhood Education and Nutrition
Child Health Task Force, July 2021
Events
Early childhood development (ECD) and nutrition experts present evidence of the link between ECD and nutrition; gaps remain in understanding how to successfully integrate additional components of nurturing care with nutrition in holistic programs. This is a webinar.
Parental Health and Early Child Development
Yamashita, Hiroshi, Kenichi Yamane, Daisuke Katsuki, Keiko Yoshida. Chapter in Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents, August 2020
- Early Childhood Development
Research Articles
The period from pregnancy to age 3 is when children are most susceptible to extreme poverty, gender inequities, violence, toxins, and poor mental health. Parents and other caretakers need information, resources, and services to provide nurturing care. Practitioners should implement high-quality interventions that simultaneously target multiple risks and build on existing delivery platforms to enhance scaling and sustainability. This chapter is behind a paywall.
Parenting Interventions to Promote Early Child Development in the First Three Years of Life: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Jeong, Joshua, Emily E. Franchett, Clariana V. Ramos de Oliveira, et al. PLOS Medicine, May 2021
Research Articles
Parenting interventions improve young child socioemotional development and cognitive, language, and motor skills. Interventions also improve parenting knowledge and practices and parent–child interactions and reduce behavioral issues.
Parents’ Perceptions of Children’s Exposure to Unhealthy Food Marketing: A Narrative Review of the Literature
Driessen, Christine, Bridget Kelly, Fiona Sing, et al. Maternal and Childhood Nutrition, March 2022
- Food Systems
Research Articles
Increasing awareness among parents and caregivers to the high levels and harmful effects of children’s exposure to unhealthy food marketing may build support for policy change.
Participation Intensity in a Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Intervention
Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions, May 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
In a study assessing program delivery, participation intensity was highest among older and highly educated participants from moderate wealth households and associated with better recall of topics discussed and greater knowledge of key methods. Associations were most significant for outcomes within individual decision-making ability.
Participatory Agroecological Research on Climate Change Adaptation Improves Smallholder Farmer Household Food Security and Dietary Diversity in Malawi
Kerr et al. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. July 2019. Vol. 279, pp 109-121.
- Food Systems
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
This four-year mixed-methods study examined the effect that agroecological farming practices can have on food security and dietary diversity in Malawi. Intercrops and crop diversification increased household food security. Use of organic soil amendments, which lessen the chance of metal accumulation by plants, resulted in increased dietary diversity. The researchers also found that when spouses discuss farming, they are 2.4 times more likely to have both food security and dietary diversity. Participatory agroecology research approaches that promote farmer experimentation and community-based education on gender equity can improve food security and nutrition.
Past, Present, and Future: Reflections on Social Norms Measurement from the Passages Project
Core Group, February 2022
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Events
Experts discuss the current state of social norms measurement, contributions, promising approaches, and future priorities from a range of perspectives. This is a webinar.
Pathways From Livestock to Improved Human Nutrition: Lessons Learned in East Africa
Flax, Valerie L., Emily A. Ouma, Isabelle Baltenweck, et al. Food Security, July 2023
- Food Systems
Research Articles
Researchers recommendations include developing tools to fill measurement gaps, creating shorter versions of validated tools, using complexity-aware evaluation methods to capture the interconnected nature of livestock-to-nutrition pathways and shifting livelihoods, and analyzing pathways to better understand linkages.
Pathways to Scale Up Early Childhood Programs: A Scoping Review of Reach Up and Care for Child Development
Buccini, Gabriela, Lily Kofke, Haley Case, et al. PLOS Global Public Health, August 2023
- Early Childhood Development
Research Articles
Evidence-based early childhood development (ECD) programs that strengthen parenting skills and promote early stimulation are critical investments to reduce intergenerational poverty. but program impact varies. Contextual factors such as infrastructure, social norms, and recipient demand and interest affect outcomes. The ECD Implementation Checklist for Enabling Program Scale Up can guide decision-making to support program success.
The Pediatrician’s Role in Supporting Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development
American Academy of Pediatrics, August 2022
- Early Childhood Development
Reports and Tools
Opportunities to promote early childhood development include ensuring access to good-quality health and nutrition services, making services more supportive of nurturing care, and increasing outreach to families and children with the greatest risk of poor development. Additional opportunities include establishing specialized services for families and children with developmental differences and collaborating with other sectors to ensure a continuum of care.
Peer Counselling as an Approach to Improve Complementary Feeding Practices: A Narrative Review
Haque, Nabila Binte, Seema Mihrshahi, and Rukhsana Haider, Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, July 2023
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
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.
Performance of the UNICEF/UN Washington Group Tool for Identifying Functional Difficulty in Rural Zimbabwean Children
Dunne, Thomas Frederick, Jaya Chandna, Florence Majo, et al. PLOS One, September 2022
- Early Childhood Development
Research Articles
The Washington Group Child Functioning Module (WGCFM) showed concurrent validity with the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT). For each unit increase in the WGCFM score, children completed 2.6 fewer MDAT items.