The Increasing Imperative for Resilient Food Systems in Times of Crisis: What Can Donors Do?
Global Donor Platform for Rural Development, April 2022
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Events
The COVID-19 pandemic, skyrocketing food prices, and the war in Ukraine are all impacting food security, and these crises require strategies to address short-term consequences and long-term investments. Donor engagement should focus on coordination, systemic approaches to improve resilience in agriculture, rural development, and food systems. Speakers stress the importance of addressing structural barriers to change and identifying strategies for donor cooperation and coordination. This is a webinar.
India: Family Participatory Care: A Gateway to Nurturing Small and Sick Newborns
Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development, n.d.
- Early Childhood Development
Reports and Tools
Based on research showing that providing parents continuous access to their babies after delivery improved breastfeeding before discharge, the Indian National Health Mission developed an educational series to teach handwashing skills and infection prevention, kangaroo and developmentally supportive care, preparation for discharge, and care at home.
Indicators for Assessing Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices: Definitions and Measurement Methods
WHO, UNICEF, April 2021
Reports and Tools
This document provides new and updated indicators to assess infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices at the household level and tools for collecting and calculating the indicators.
Industry Self-Regulation of Food Fortification Compliance: Piloting the Micronutrient Fortification Index in Nigeria
Durotoye, Tobi, Ike Ilegbune, Dominic Schofield, et al. Food and Nutrition Bulletin, November 2022
- Food Systems
Research Articles
The Micronutrient Fortification Index ranks Nigerian products based on the effectiveness and efficiency of a company’s systems and levels of fortification. Digitizing quality assurance and business processes increases accountability and harnesses the competitive nature of businesses to drive food fortification performance. This article is behind a paywall.
Inequalities in Early Childhood Care and Development in Low/Middle-Income Countries: 2010–2018
Lu, Chunling, Jorge Cuartas, Günther Fink, et al. BMJ Global Health, Vol. 5, January 2020
- Early Childhood Development
Research Articles
Understanding inequities in access to early childhood services and outcomes is important to guide targeted interventions and ensure all children benefit from nurturing care. This study analyzed prevalence of exposure to stunting and/or extreme poverty, access to early childhood care and education programs, home stimulation, and child development using national surveys from 94 countries that assessed inequalities across child gender, household wealth, rural/urban location, and income group. While there was no significant gender gap, poorer countries and households had worse outcomes and access to services compared to wealthier countries and households. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest proportion of children exposed to stunting or extreme poverty and the lowest proportion of children accessing early childhood services or adequate stimulation.
Infant and Young Child Feeding Image Bank (Resource Collection)
USAID Advancing Nutrition, July 2023
- Knowledge Management
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
The Infant and Young Child Feeding Image Bank provides more than 900 images to illustrate recommended practices. Practitioners have used the images in more than 70 countries to promote behavior change for improved maternal and child nutrition.
Infant and Young Child Feeding in the Context of COVID-19
UNICEF, Global Technical Assistance Mechanism for Nutrition (GTAM), and the Global Nutrition Cluster, March 2020
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
During COVID-19, UNICEF recommends that mothers follow hygiene precautions while continuing recommended feeding practices. It calls for coordinating nutrition, health, food security and livelihood, agriculture, WASH, social protection, and mental health support to reach infants and young children. It also highlights the need to prioritize preventive services to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on young children’s diets and wellbeing.
Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) East and Southern Africa Capacity Mapping and Assessment Tool
Save the Children and UNICEF ESARO, May 2020
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
Reports and Tools
Protecting, promoting, and supporting proper infant and young child feeding practices is especially important in emergency contexts with higher rates of child mortality and acute malnutrition. This tool uses six priority areas to guide governments and their partners in assessing and improving their infant and young child feeding in emergencies programming.
Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Hub
Save the Children Resource Centre, August 2021
Reports and Tools
The IYCFEHub curates resources focused on infant and young child nutrition in emergencies and humanitarian contexts.
Infant and Young Child Feeding Recommendations When COVID-19 is Suspected or Confirmed
UNICEF and USAID Advancing Nutrition, April 2020
- Early Childhood Development
- Nutrition in Humanitarian Contexts
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Reports and Tools
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. This package, containing 10 counseling cards and a recommended practices booklet, reflects the latest recommendations for IYCF during the pandemic to help counselors continue to promote proper breastfeeding practices during COVID-19. User-friendly graphics allow counselors to use the cards in low-literacy communities and across various contexts.
Influence of Enhanced Nutrition and Psychosocial Stimulation in Early Childhood on Cognitive Functioning and Psychological Well-Being in Guatemalan Adults
Ramírez-Luzuriaga, María J., Ann M. DiGirolamo, Reynaldo Martorell, et al. Social Science & Medicine, April 2021
Research Articles
Findings from Guatemala suggest childhood nutritional supplementation and psychosocial stimulation have long-lasting effects on cognitive ability, executive function, and psychological well-being in adults.
Informal Food Environment is Associated with Household Vegetable Purchase Patterns and Dietary Intake in the DECIDE Study: Empirical Evidence from Food Vendor Mapping in Peri-Urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Ambikapathi, Ramya, Gerald Shively, Germana Leyna, et al. Global Food Security, December 2020
Research Articles
A greater density of vegetable or informal vendors within 500 meters of a household is associated with a higher likelihood of vegetable purchases and lower energy intake. The role of informal and semi-formal food vendors in supporting consumption of nutritious diets should not be discounted.
Information Diffusion and Social Norms Are Associated with Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices in Bangladesh
Nguyen, Phuong H., Edward A. Frongillo, Sunny S. Kim, et al. The Journal of Nutrition. Vol. 149, No. 11. November 2019
- Nutrition and Health Systems
- Social and Behavior Change and Gender
Research Articles
Researchers conducted two rounds of surveys in 2,000 Bangladeshi households to examine the diffusion of infant and young child feeding (IYCF) messaging through interventions targeting mothers’ social networks. Based on their findings, the authors propose that diffusion of IYCF information through social networks, bolstered by positive social norms for messages promoted over time, will positively affect changes in IYCF practices.
Initiation of Breastfeeding in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Time-to-Event Analysis
Mallick, Lindsay, Wenjuan Wang, Shiza Farid, et al. Global Health: Science and Practice, May 2021
Research Articles
Cesarean deliveries are associated with a significant delay in initiating breastfeeding (BF) while immediate skin-to-skin contact is associated with earlier initiation. Authors recommend adopting facility-based policies and programs to encourage early BF and skin-to-skin practices, providing health care worker training opportunities to build awareness of these practices, and targeting cesarean deliveries.
Initiation of Breastfeeding in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Time-to-Event Analysis
United States Agency for International Development, June 2020
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
Demographic and Health Survey data collected in 31 countries since 2015 show that women who deliver by cesarean section initiate breastfeeding later compared to those who give birth vaginally. Immediate skin-to-skin contact and higher parity were also significantly associated with shorter time to initiating breastfeeding.
Innovating for Safer Foods—EatSafe in Nigeria's Approach to Designing Consumer Interventions in Traditional Markets
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, November 2022
- Food Systems
Reports and Tools
This paper describes how the Evidence and Action Towards Safe, Nutritious Food (EatSafe) program in Nigeria identified and designed innovative interventions to increase consumer demand for safe foods in traditional market settings.
Innovation Lab for Nutrition Legacy Report: 2010–2021
Feed the Future, February 2022
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
The Nutrition Innovation Lab’s evidence generation, policy strengthening, and capacity strengthening efforts contributed to improving nutrition through agricultural interventions. The report highlights key achievements and lessons learned during its decade of operation in nine countries.
Innovations and Tools in Child Growth Measurement and Data Visualization
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The Global Financing Facility, November 2019
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
Making the case for why we need better tools to measure child growth, this publication presents promising technological interventions. It also outlines major challenges to reliable and accurate measurement and discusses the pros and cons of tools that might both address these challenges and aid in data visualization.
Innovative New App Launched to Train, Support, and Motivate Frontline Nutrition Workers in Gujarat State, India
Alive & Thrive, May 2022
Reports and Tools
The app provides frontline health workers with real-time support to problem-solve, get answers to questions, and participate in trainings. The platform collects feedback on service quality and provides anonymous feedback about supervision. The app collates and analyzes data, which helps government officials monitor program quality and identify performance gaps.
Inside Look: How UNICEF is Tackling the Global Nutrition Crisis for Women and Girls
UNICEF, March 2023
- Knowledge Management
Reports and Tools
A UNICEF nutrition specialist discusses breaking the cycle of malnutrition, the importance of addressing dangerous social and gender norms, the role of multiple micronutrient supplements and social protection programs in addressing malnutrition, and how addressing individual nutrition benefits society as a whole. She shares UNICEF targets for addressing malnutrition and success stories working with local partners.
Insights on Exclusive Breastfeeding Norms in Kinshasa: Findings from a Qualitative Study
Wood, Francine E., Anastasia J. Gage, and Dieudonné Bidashimwa. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, October 2020
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Research Articles
Focus group discussions with young first-time mothers (FTMs), male partners, mothers, and mothers-in-law to identify norms that influence exclusive breastfeeding found important barriers. For instance, FTMs believed exclusive breastfeeding was uncommon and would result in social sanctions from the community. Trust in and desire to please mothers, friends, and others in their social networks also influenced decision-making. The authors conclude that to promote exclusive breastfeeding it is critical to assess cultural beliefs, target sensitization efforts to key influencers, and increase FTMs’ self-efficacy.
Institutionalizing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative: Integrating the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding into Standards of Clinical Care
USAID Advancing Nutrition, December 2023
- Nutrition and Health Systems
Reports and Tools
This interactive webpage shares country experiences in expanding the coverage and sustainability of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.
Intake Survey Guidance Document: Estimating Usual Intakes from Dietary Surveys - Methodologic Challenges, Analysis Approaches, and Recommendations for LMICs
Intake: Center for Dietary Assessment, January 2020
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Reports and Tools
Collecting qualitative data through dietary surveys is key to estimating dietary intake among populations. However, there are many challenges that arise during data collection and analysis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This brief outlines recommendations on how to overcome various methodologic issues and provides an overview of approaches to data analysis in the context of LMICs.
Intake Survey Guidance Document: Key Considerations for the Planning and Design of a Dietary Survey
Intake: Center for Dietary Assessment, January 2020
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
Reports and Tools
Why undertake national dietary surveys? One of the many uses for data from large-scale quantitative 24-hour recall dietary intake surveys is to inform national nutrition policy and programmatic decisions. This survey guidance document from the Intake: Center for Dietary Assessment survey guidance series, outlines considerations for the planning, design, and costing of 24-hour recall dietary surveys in low- and middle-income countries.