Rural and urban linkages: Operation flood's role in India's dairy development

millions fed, food security, Operation flood, Dairy, NDDB, Dairy cooperatives,

Improving diet quality and micronutrient nutrition: Homestead food production in Bangladesh

millions fed, food security, Homestead food production, HFP, Micronutrient, Homestead garden,

Educational Corporate Social Responsibility in Mexico

Thesis written by a student in the UNT Honors College discussing Mexico's educational system and corporate social responsibility programs and whether these actually respond to the needs of Mexican schools

Grandmothers' knowledge positively influences maternal knowledge and infant and young child feeding practices.

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between grandmothers' knowledge and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and to test whether the associations are independent of or operate via maternal knowledge. DESIGN: Cross-sectional household survey data from households with a child under 5 years (n 4080). We used multivariate regression analyses, adjusted for child, maternal, grandmother and household characteristics, and district-level clustering, to test associations between grandmothers' knowledge and IYCF practices for children aged 6-24 months living with a grandmother. We used causal mediation to formally test the direct effect of grandmothers' knowledge on IYCF practices v. maternal knowledge mediating these associations. SETTING: Two hundred and forty rural communities, sixteen districts of Nepal. SUBJECTS: Children aged 6-24 months (n1399), including those living with grandmothers (n 748). RESULTS: We found that the odds of optimal breast-feeding practices were higher (early breast-feeding initiation: 2·2 times, P=0·002; colostrum feeding: 4·2 times, P<0·001) in households where grandmothers had correct knowledge v. those with incorrect knowledge. The same pattern was found for correct timing of introduction of water (2·6), milk (2·4), semi-solids (3·2), solids (2·9), eggs (2·6) and meat (2·5 times; all P<0·001). For the two pathways we were able to test, mothers' correct knowledge mediated these associations between grandmothers' knowledge and IYCF practices: colostrum feeding (b=10·91, P<0·001) and the introduction of complementary foods (b=5·18, P<0·001). CONCLUSIONS: Grandmothers' correct knowledge translated into mothers' correct knowledge and, therefore, optimal IYCF practices. Given grandmothers' influence in childcare, engagement of grandmothers in health and nutrition interventions could improve mothers' knowledge and facilitate better child feeding

COVID‐19 and maternal and child food and nutrition insecurity: a complex syndemic

Globally, the COVID‐19 pandemic has already led to major increases in unemployment and is expected to lead to unprecedented increases in poverty and food insecurity, as well as poor health and nutrition outcomes. Families where young children, pregnant and lactating women live need to be protected against the ongoing protracted pandemic and the aftershocks that are very likely to follow for years to come. The future wellbeing of the vast majority of the world now depends on reconfiguringthe current ineffective food, nutrition, health and social protection systems to ensure food security for all. Because food, nutrition and social protection are intimately linked with health in a multidirectional way, it is essential that that we fully address global and local food, health care, and social protection systems and the inter‐relationship among them. Implementation science research will be needed to fill in the current major gaps. Not doing so will not only put the development of individuals at further risk, but also negatively impact on the development potential of entire nations and ultimately our Planet

Pathways from women's group-based programs to nutrition change in South Asia: a conceptual framework and literature review

Improving the nutritional status of women and children in South Asia remains a high public health and development priority. Women's groups are emerging as platforms for delivering health- and nutrition-oriented programs and addressing gender and livelihoods challenges. We propose a framework outlining pathways through which women's group participation may facilitate improvements in nutrition. Evidence is summarized from 36 studies reporting on 24 nutritional indicators across infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, intake/diet, and anthropometry. Our findings suggest that women's group-based programs explicitly triggering behavior change pathways are most successful in improving nutrition outcomes, with strongest evidence for IYCF practices. Future investigators should link process and impact evaluations to better understand the pathways from women's group participation to nutritional impact

A Multisectoral Nutrition Program in Nepal Improves Knowledge of Dietary Diversity, Sick Child Feeding, and Handwashing, but Not All Practices: a Program Impact Pathways Mediation Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Few intervention studies have focused on how inputs link with outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study tested whether Suaahara I program inputs translated into intended outcomes and identified gaps along the theorized program impact pathway to improved nutrition, care, and water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors. METHODS: We used household-level, cross-sectional survey data from a process evaluation of Suaahara I conducted in 2014. A total of 480 households with a pregnant woman or child aged <2 y were selected with an equal split between intervention and comparison arms. We used regression models to test associations between exposure to Suaahara I and 3 primary outcomes and 3 parallel knowledge mediators: child minimum dietary diversity, child feeding during illness, and proper handwashing during child care. We used generalized structural equation modeling using full information maximum likelihood to test whether knowledge mediated associations between exposure and outcomes. RESULTS: In the adjusted regression models between maternal exposure to Suaahara I and 3 behavioral outcomes, we found a small positive association for handwashing (β: 0.21; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.31), but no association with the other 2 outcomes. In the mediation analysis, maternal exposure to Suaahara I, however, was associated with the mediator (knowledge) for all 3 outcomes: handwashing with soap and water (β: 0.05 ± 0.02), child minimum dietary diversity (logit = 0.06; P = 0.03), and child feeding during illness (logit = 0.09 ± 0.02). We found a positive, significant association for the full indirect pathway of program input to output via knowledge for child feeding during illness (logit = 0.07 ± 0.03) only. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to Suaahara I behavior change interventions improved knowledge, but this did not always translate into improved practices. It is important to address barriers to optimal practices beyond knowledge in future nutrition programs in Nepal

3rd Annual Conference of the Leverhulme Centre for Integrative Research on Agriculture and Health (LCIRAH), Developing methods in agriculture and health research, London, 13–14 June 2013

Non-PRIFPRI3; ISI; CRP4; B Promoting healthy food systemsPHND; A4NHCGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH

Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Production Diversity, and Nutrition: Evidence from Nepal

It is increasingly recognised that agricultural growth and development do not necessarily translate into improved nutrition outcomes. Policymakers are increasingly grappling with how to design and implement agricultural policies and programmes that can also achieve nutritional objectives. Agriculture has direct links to nutrition in that it provides a source of food and nutrients and a broad-based source of income, as well as directly influencing food prices. Gender roles mediate these linkages, particularly in relation to increased food availability and increased income. Thus, one possible pathway through which agricultural development could improve health and nutrition outcomes is by considering gender roles and gender equity in agriculture. Using household survey data from Nepal, the author of this paper investigates the impact of women’s empowerment in agriculture and production diversity on dietary diversity and anthropometric outcomes of mothers and children. Production diversity is positively associated with mothers’ dietary diversity and body mass index. Production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity for children under two and predicts weight-for-age (WAZ), weight-for-height (WHZ), and height-for-age (HAZ) z-scores of children over two years of age. Indicators of empowerment are significantly associated with maternal outcomes but have a variable effect on child outcomes. Women’s autonomy in production and hours worked improve maternal and children’s dietary diversity and child HAZ.UK AidDepartment for International Development (DFID

Unravelling adolescent girls’ aspirations in Nepal:Status and associations with individual-, household-, and community-level characteristics

Background Adolescents’ aspirations have potential to influence their present and future well-being. Limited knowledge exists on adolescent girls’ aspirations and their determinants, particularly in low-income contexts. Methods and findings Using cross-sectional data, collected in 2018 in Nepal, within the Suaahara II Adolescent Panel Survey, (n = 840), adolescent girls’ aspirations in several domains—education, occupation, marriage, fertility, health, and nutrition–were described. Regression models were estimated to explore associations between individual, household and community characteristics and these aspirations for all adolescents and separately for younger (10–14 years) and older (15–19 years) girls. Age, school attendance, and self-efficacy, as well as household wealth, caste/ethnicity, size, and agro-ecological zone of residence were significantly associated with aspirations, although effect sizes and significance varied by aspiration domain and age group. Conclusions Findings underscore the curtailing effect of poverty on aspirations and the dynamic nature of aspirations. Initiatives to foster girls’ aspirations must address both individual and contextual factors