The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49693

Manish Subharwal, PhD, T. Usha Kiran, M Sc, and Deepika Nayar Chaudhery, PhD. Nutrition Sector, CARE India, 27, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, India

This paper presents the quantitative status of key identified indicators reflecting infant feeding and maternal nutrition behaviors in the community in the Integrated Nutrition and Health Project conducted in 8 states in India. The first three sections deal with the three components of infant feeding i.e. early initiation of breast feeding, exclusive breast feeding and complementary feeding and section 4 presents data on maternal nutrition behaviors. The second part of the paper highlights two major approaches (home visits and Nutrition and Health Day) that were followed by the project for disseminating the nutrition messages for behavior change. The data presented is from Demonstration Sites (DS) only, as the interventions on infant feeding were limited to these areas. The sample size is 540 respondents per state (done in 8 states).A closer analysis of the evaluation conducted in 2001 establish the usefulness of Nutrition and Health Day (NHD) as a platform for facilitating change but also indicates the need for in-depth look at the quality of inputs and consistency of efforts in DS.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant(learner) in this session will be able to
• recognize the gap in the advice and the practice in behaviour change for infant and maternal nutrition
• Articultae the reasons for the successes and challenges for its actualistaion
• Identify and construct the modifications to program interventions in terms of quality, effective monitoring and systemic support that is required for enhanced impact

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Nutrition

Related Web page: careindia.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment