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.
Publications
Stories of Change in Nutrition – a special issue
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 .
Challenging dominance: identity politics in the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Programme, India
By Shilpa Deshpande, PhD Candidate, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex
Ten years before I joined the ICDS as an anganwadi worker, my cousin mother-in-law used to work here. At that time, the division of the village population between anganwadi workers was such that lower caste households were served by my mother-in-law whereas only the higher caste households were served by Lata madam, this was her rule….so… my mother-in-law’s field area was scattered across the village. Then when I joined, Lata madam said that just like my mother-in-law I should be given the lower caste communities. I refused…. I said give me any part of the village but I want half and I want it along a continuous line then only will I be able to work. This led to a fight, which continued for several days.
Meena, Anganwadi worker [Read more…]
What factors influence community nutrition workers in performing their jobs? Preliminary findings from Bihar, India
by Aparna John, PhD candidate, Institute of Development Studies at University of Sussex
Child undernutrition rates in India are among the highest in the world (Raykar et.al, 2015). Despite the decline in undernutrition indicators such as stunting (low height for age), underweight (low weight for age) and wasting (low weight for height), India is home to 40 million stunted and 17 million wasted children. The Government of India has invested in efforts to reduce childhood undernutrition and improve maternal and child health through one of its flagship programmes — the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme. ICDS, the world’s largest community nutrition programme, is delivered by 1.34 million village based female workers, Anganwadi workers (AWWs). [Read more…]
Should the Maternal Infant and Young Children Nutrition programme in Kenya be scaled up?
This briefing Social Return On Investment Assessment Of A Baby Friendly Community Intervention In Urban Poor Settings, Nairobi, Kenya by Transform Nutrition project partners African Population Health Research Center answers that question. It outlines the impact of the Maternal Infant and Young Children Nutrition project that aimed to improve the health and nutritional status of children and inform implementation of the government’s Baby Friendly Community Initiative. The Study is now also featured in June 2016 issue of Field Exchange.
Public-Private Partnerships and the Reduction of Undernutrition in Developing Countries
This Transform Nutrition discussion paper Public-Private Partnerships and the Reduction of Undernutrition in Developing Countries brings structure to the discussion of private-sector engagement in nutrition. It clarifies different models of engagement, reviews the evidence base on public-private partnerships (PPPs) for the reduction of undernutrition, and outlines some potential ways forward.
How to scale up impact on nutrition
We know a lot more about what is driving malnutrition and we know more about the type of interventions that are needed to respond. And yet, we continue to struggle with the “how” questions. A new Transform Nutrition research brief written by Stuart Gillespie is out now Scaling up impact on nutrition: what will it take? which will help guide policymakers and programme managers when designing and planning for scaling up impact on nutrition.
An assessment of Bangladesh’s National Nutrition Services Program
A new report Bangladesh National Nutrition Services : Assessment of Implementation Status presents the findings of an operations research study conducted to assess the implementation of the Government of Bangladesh’s National Nutrition Services Program (NNS). It identifies the achievements and determine the bottlenecks that adversely impact these achievements, and highlight potential solutions to ensure smooth delivery of the program.
