In recent years, political commitment to reducing undernutrition has risen globally. Nutrition features prominently on development agendas, in prime ministerial speeches,
in international development discourse and in the media. The multisectorality of nutrition is better recognised with the corresponding need for engagement by multiple actors in different sectors and at different levels. While this has thrown a spotlight on the issue of private sector engagement in nutrition-relevant actions, looming over new initiatives that engage the private sector is a deeply suspicious nutrition sector. This research brief from Transform Nutrition Public-Private Partnerships and undernutrition: Examples and future prospects examines this issue.
Publications
New approaches to accountability in nutrition
Getting governments and others to step up to the challenges of undernutrition requires concerted efforts to build commitment, increase responsiveness and to hold these actors to account for their progress or its lack. For the past six years Transform Nutrition has been at the forefront of research and conceptual development on accountability and nutrition. This brief New approaches to accountability in nutrition describes the research, tools and approaches developed by the consortium to build, monitor and increase commitment, responsiveness and accountability in nutrition
Agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru
A research brief by colleagues at Egerton University, Kenya Agrobiodiversity and dietary diversity for improved nutritional status of mothers and children in Rongai sub-county, Nakuru is now available. The brief summarises the findings of surveys where the association between agrobiodiversity (the variety of all forms of life directly relevant to agriculture, including crop varieties and animal species) and diet diversity for children 6–23 months old and their mothers or caregivers were determined. We make recommendations on how the situation could be improved.
A malnutrition mobile app randomised trial in Wajir, Kenya
A mobile health application developed to help with Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM) which enables health workers and volunteers to identify and initiate treatment for children with acute malnutrition before they become seriously ill,was evaluated in 40 health facilities in Wajir Kenya. A research brief is now available Preliminary findings from a malnutrition mobile app randomised trial in Wajir, Kenya which summarises the findings.
What works for nutrition in the real world?
To meet a growing demand for experiential learning, Transform Nutrition developed the Stories of Change (SoC) initiative. The goal was to systematically assess and analyse drivers of change in six high burden countries – Bangladesh, India (Odisha), Ethiopia, Nepal, Senegal, and Zambia – that have had some success in accelerating improvements in nutrition. This synthesis research brief What works in the real world? summarises the lessons learnt across the country studies with a number of key findings.
Stories of Change in Nutrition – a special issue
Stories of Change in Nutrition – a special issue
“This special issue offers all sides of the nutrition story, by shedding a light on how countries have scaled up their fight against malnutrition, thus inspiring others” Gerda Verburg Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Coordinator
“Stories, building on those presented in this issue, will help lead the way toward results at scale and the end of malnutrition.” Georgina Fekete, Director – Saving Lives, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), UK
To meet the growing demand from many countries for experiential learning about what works in Nutrition, Stories of Change sought to systematically assess and analyse drivers of change in six high-burden countries (Bangladesh, India (Odisha), Ethiopia, Nepal, Senegal, and Zambia) that have had some success in accelerating improvements in nutrition.
Bringing all of this work together for the first time a special Stories of Change issue of Global Food Security is now available, edited by Stuart Gillespie, Mara van den bold, Purnima Menon and Nicholas Nisbett. [Read more…]
Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme
A new Transform Nutrition discussion paper is now out The impact of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme on the nutritional status of children: 2008–2012. Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) is a large-scale social protection intervention aimed at improving food security and stabilizing asset levels. In this paper, we examine the impact of the PSNP on children’s nutritional status over the period 2008–2012 and these findings, along with work by other researchers, have informed revisions to the PSNP.
A mobile health application to manage acute malnutrition
Community based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) is a proven high-impact and cost-effective approach in the treatment of acute malnutrition in developing countries. However, success is limited if treatment protocols are not followed, record keeping and data management is poor and reliable data is not available in time for decision makers.
There is strong evidence that mobile device based (mHealth) applications can improve frontline health workers’ ability to apply CMAM treatment protocols more effectively and to improve the provision of supply chain management. A new Transform Nutrition working paper is now available A mobile health application to manage acute malnutrition Lessons from developing and piloting the app in five countries which we hope will inform future mobile health projects.
A mobile app to manage acute malnutrition
A new Transform Nutrition research brief A mobile app to manage acute malnutrition is now available. In this brief programme staff in Niger, Chad, Mali, Kenya and Afghanistan discuss the challenges they faced adapting a mobile health app and rolling it out in some of the most remote, hard to reach health facilities in the world and make valuable recommendations for other mobile health application developments .
