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.
Field Test Interview Guide: IYCF Recommendations when COVID-19 is Suspected or Confirmed
Publication Date:
Social and Behavior Change and GenderCOVID-19Infant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
This document guides group facilitators through steps to adapt counseling materials for infant and young child feeding when COVID-19 is suspected or confirmed.
Social and Behavior Change Do's and Don'ts: Getting It Right for Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Programming
Publication Date:
Social and Behavior Change and GenderBehavior Change for Nutrition
This tool helps nutrition program planners and implementers improve quality at every stage of multi-sectoral nutrition social and behavior change from design to delivery, monitoring, and adaptation.
Infant and Young Child Feeding Recommendations When COVID-19 is Suspected or Confirmed
Publication Date:
Early Childhood DevelopmentNutrition in Humanitarian ContextsNutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingCOVID-19Emergency NutritionInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
WHO and UNICEF advise caregivers and families with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case to continue with their usual infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices while adhering to the recommended hygiene precautions for COVID-19.
Women's Empowerment in Agriculture and Nutritional Outcomes: Evidence from Six Countries in Africa and Asia
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Nutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderFood SecurityNutrition Sensitive Agriculture
Although evidence exists linking women’s empowerment and improved child human capital outcomes, researchers lack evidence about the relationship between women’s empowerment and child nutrition.
Why Are Child Feeding Practices So Tough to Change?
Publication Date:
Early Childhood DevelopmentSocial and Behavior Change and GenderInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
While WHO’s Guiding Principles for Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Child still largely influences the design and implementation of nutrition programs for complementary feeding, implementers—such as caregivers—often face difficulties applying these g
Creating Demand for Multiple Micronutrient Supplements (MMS): A Mini Guide
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningNutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderMicronutrient InterventionsMaternal Nutrition
Public health practitioners who wish to improve demand for, uptake of, and adherence to multiple micronutrient supplements can look to this guide for assistance. It contains tips categorized into three phases: getting started, project implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
Adapting Social and Behavior Change Materials in the Time of COVID-19
Publication Date:
Social and Behavior Change and GenderCOVID-19Emergency Nutrition
According to the author of this brief, during a pandemic such as COVID-19, it is important to shift our thinking about research, material design, and behavior-change communications from a longer process to one that focuses on the most important issues and immediate next steps.
Strengthening Promotion Activities within Growth Monitoring Programs
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Early Childhood DevelopmentNutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderGrowth Monitoring and Promotion
During growth monitoring and promotion, health care workers are meant to provide vital, individualized nutrition and growth counseling to suit each child’s needs. However, too often counseling by frontline workers is inadequate, generic, or even non-existent.
Social and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)Maternal Nutrition
This user-friendly tool supports project staff, country offices, USAID staff, and Mission staff when designing, implementing, and evaluating social and behavior change programs for multi-sectoral nutrition. The list of prioritized nutrition-specific behaviors cover six critical areas from diet and care during pregnancy to managing diarrhea and wasting.
Defining Social and Behavior Change Competencies for Multi-Sectoral Nutrition: A List for Assessing, Developing, and Evaluating Staff Skills
Publication Date:
Capacity StrengtheningIdentification and Use of Nutrition CompetenciesSocial and Behavior Change and GenderBehavior Change for Nutrition
This tool identifies 52 social and behavior change competencies—knowledge, skills, and attitudes—that project staff must demonstrate to design, implement, and evaluate the SBC components of multi-sectoral nutrition programs.
Lessons from Using Cluster-Randomized Evaluations to Build Evidence on Large-Scale Nutrition Behavior Change Interventions
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningSocial and Behavior Change and Gender
Collaborative program evaluations using randomized controlled trials, among other methods, can provide substantive insight into nutrition behavior change interventions. This paper describes lessons learned from efforts led by the Alive & Thrive global nutrition initiative.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningNutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and Gender
The Social Norms Exploration Tool, also referred to as SNET, is a learning and action tool that helps programs understand a community’s social norms by conducting a social norms exploration.
Social Determinants of Health: Roles of Structure and Agency
Publication Date:
Early Childhood DevelopmentNutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and Gender
This presentation by Dr. Carol Underwood of Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs provides a look into the social determinants of health, ranging from economic opportunity to crime rates, and what affects change in those determinants. Dr.
Sick Child Feeding Practice and Associated Factors Among Mothers of Children Less Than 24 Months Old, in Burayu Town, Ethiopia
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Nutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
It is important to optimize infant and young child feeding (IYCF), especially in the first 2 years of life, if a child is to develop to his or her full potential. Researchers conducted this study to assess IYCF practices among mothers with children under 24 months of age in Burayu Town, Ethiopia.
Different Combinations of Behavior Change Interventions and Frequencies of Interpersonal Contacts Are Associated with Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam
Publication Date:
Nutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderBreastfeedingInfant and Young Child Nutrition (IYCN)
This study examined endline survey data from intervention evaluations in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Vietnam to assess how different combinations of social and behavior change communication interventions and varying levels of exposure to the interventions affected infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices.
Knowledge ManagementSocial and Behavior Change and GenderAdolescent Nutrition
With the goal of encouraging healthy eating and informed food choices, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics launched an educational campaign during the month of March. The campaign’s toolkit includes factsheets, videos, a social media toolkit, and articles. These materials cover diet, meal planning, cooking, and information on the role of registered dietitian nutritionists.
Maternal Nutrition for Girls and Women: Technical Guidance Brief
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Nutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderAdolescent NutritionMaternal Nutrition
This brief presents information on why the nutrition of adolescent girls and mothers is important, the causes of malnutrition, and the scope of the problem. It also provides an overview of key, nutrition-specific interventions that address the immediate causes of malnutrition in adolescent girls and mothers.
Nutrition of Adolescent Girls and Women of Reproductive Age in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Current Context and Scientific Basis for Moving Forward
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Nutrition and Health SystemsSocial and Behavior Change and GenderAdolescent NutritionMaternal Nutrition
The Strengthening Partnerships, Results, and Innovations in Nutrition Globally (SPRING) Project and the Pan American Health Organization identified the need for a core set of key practices that characterize the diet and feeding practices associated with good nutrition among adolescent girls, women, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningSocial and Behavior Change and GenderAdolescent NutritionMicronutrient Interventions
Iron is critical for adolescent females (ages 12–19 years) for their red blood cells and to reduce illness. The purpose of this activity sheet is to encourage participants to consume iron on a daily basis.
Manual for Country-Level Nutrition Advocacy Using PROFILES and Nutrition Costing
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Monitoring, Evaluation, and LearningSocial and Behavior Change and Gender
This resource provides comprehensive, step-by-step instructions for facilitating a country-level nutrition advocacy planning process using the PROFILES nutrition advocacy tool and nutrition costing.