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