Food Security and Nutrition (FSN) Network Technical
Meeting
Maputo 22nd Sept 2011
Name: Faith M. ThuitaNutrition Technical Advisor - Kenya
Infant & Young Child Nutrition (IYCN) Project
Influence of Grandmothers and Men
on Infant and Young Child Feeding
Practices during the first 1000 days
The Infant & Young Child Nutrition Project USAID’s flagship project on infant
and young child nutrition
Aims to prevent malnutrition for mothers and children during the critical time from pregnancy until two years of age.
Led by PATH in collaboration with CARE, The Manoff Group, and University Research Co., LLC
The 1000 Days Initiative and the Scale up Nutrition Movement
Promotes targeted action and investment to improve nutrition for mothers and children from pregnancy to the age of 2 years
Why: The impact of maternal and child malnutrition during this period is irreversible
Lancet Series on maternal and child nutrition (2008) – Evidence base
Globally, malnutrition is an underlying cause in more than a 1/3 of child deaths and,
11% of the total disease burden worldwide is due to maternal and child undernutrition.
• More than 3.5 million children die each year
Quality of nutrition in the first 1000 days determines …..
Whether a mother and child survive a pregnancy
Whether a child will contract a common childhood disease
Experience enough brain development to go to school and hold a job as an adult.
Feeding practices enhance child survival
Exclusive breastfeeding – Estimated to prevent 13 per cent of all deaths of children under five
Appropriate complementary feeding can help prevent a further 6% of all child deaths
High Impact Nutrition Interventions
Promotion of good maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation
Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months
Appropriate complementary feeding (6- 24 mons)
Micronutrient supplementation
Focus of Community Programs on Young Child Nutrition
Most programs, research and policies on infant and young child nutrition focus on mothers of young children.
Literature review – Africa, Asia and Latin America revealed only 14 programs involved either GM or men.
Ref; Aubel J, 2010
Engaging influential household members
• There is Increasing
recognition of the need to
adopt a wider approach
which involves other
influential household
actors such as
grandmothers and men
Why Grandmothers and Fathers?
Grandmothers - Primary caregivers of women and children.
Play a leading role in decision making in the family:
– Pregnancy and maternal nutrition
– New born care
– Breastfeeding, & complementary feeding
– Home care for sick children
Male engagement Involvement of men in
maternal and infant young child nutrition is primarily focused on supportive roles:.
Provision of food
Resources to meet health needs of family members
A Family Approach?
GMs and men play critical and complementary roles in promoting the nutritional and health status of children and women.
Need for program designs that build on and strengthen the cultural roles of mothers, fathers and grandmothers.
Engagement of grandmothers and fathers – IYCN’s approaches
Literature review on roles and influence of grandmothers and men
Formative research on role of men and grandmothers in maternal,
infant, and young child nutrition
Evaluation of interventions to engage grandmothers and fathers.
• a
Approaches
Integration of activities into on-going community based initiatives
Integration and partnerships
Training psycho-social support counselors on PMTCT and infant feeding.
Developing reporting tools for PSSCs.
Production of IEC materials for dissemination in facilities and communities.
Infant feeding & HIV community support
Integrating infant feeding support into on-going community-based HIV activities through training:
Community Counselors
Ambassadors of Hope
Developed training manual and participant guide on Infant Feeding and HIV.
Developed reporting tools for ongoing monitoring of activities.
Engaging men in infant feeding
Piloting integration of infant feeding issues into men’s groups activities
Target existing men’s groups
Developed 2-day training guide
Trained men’s groups facilitators
Photo: APHIA II Western
Lessons Learnt
Use a family focused approach to behaviuor change for infant feeding and maternal nutrition
Grandmothers are frontline caregivers and key influencers in the family
Men are not male women
Lessons Learnt
View grandmothers and men as resources rather than obstacles
Engage men and grandmothers through existing structures and networks
Address community norms, not just individual behaviors
Resources on Grandmothers and Male
Involvement Literature review – Roles and influence t
of grandmothers and men
Training manual for male group leaders
Training manual for dialogue group leaders (Grandmothers)
Formative assessment report on engagement of men and grandmothers to improve IYCN in Kenya
Training and participant materials
Group discussion
• Question1:
What are opportunities and barriers in engagement of men and grandmothers in your country and/or project?
Question 2
What would be the next steps for using a family approach to improve maternal, infant and young child nutrition in your program/country?
Thank you
• Ps Visit: www:iycn.org