Institutional

School-based deworming programme in Sanliurfa, Turkey: changing from externally funding phase to self-sufficient phase. In Sanliurfa, Turkey, externally funded temporary deworming activities have led to an internally funded self-sufficient programme in 2004-05 academic year. A total of 200,000 doses of mebendazole were distributed to schoolchildren, absentee children and small children and women through both schools […]

Have policy responses in Nigeria resulted in improvements in infant and young child feeding practices in Nigeria? BACKGROUND: Nigeria initiated a range of programs and policies (from 1992 to 2005) to improve infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. However, the prevalence of children fed in accordance with IYCF recommendations in Nigeria remains low. This […]

Assessing Progress in Implementing Uganda’s Nutrition Action Plan: District-Level Insights. BACKGROUND: The 2011 Uganda Nutrition Action Plan (UNAP) established 2016 maternal and child nutrition targets. However, there is a lack of routine district-level data collection to assess UNAP implementation. OBJECTIVE: To use Nutrition Innovation Lab (NIL) data to inform policy makers on the progress of […]

Planning and Budgeting for Nutrition Programs in Tanzania: Lessons Learned From the National Vitamin A Supplementation Program. BACKGROUND: Micronutrient deficiency in Tanzania is a significant public health problem, with vitamin A deficiency (VAD) affecting 34% of children aged 6 to 59 months. Since 2007, development partners have worked closely to advocate for the inclusion of […]

Taking Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment Back to the Community: Practical Experiences from Nutrition Coverage Surveys. The community-based management of acute malnutrition treatment model was introduced to respond to the limited coverage of the inpatient model. Yet until the introduction of quick and low-cost approaches to measuring coverage, its reach was unknown. Once the Coverage Monitoring […]

An assessment of maternal, newborn and child health implementation studies in Nigeria: implications for evidence informed policymaking and practice. BACKGROUND: The introduction of implementation science into maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) research has facilitated better methods to improve uptake of research findings into practices. With increase in implementation research related to MNCH world-wide, stronger […]

Public and Private Sector Dynamics in Scaling Up Rice Fortification: The Colombian Experience and its Lessons. BACKGROUND: Fortification of cereal grains with at least iron or folic acid is legislated in 85 countries worldwide. Relative to wheat and maize flour, rice fortification is relatively new and provides an opportunity to deliver essential micronutrients to populations that […]

Niger’s Child Survival Success, Contributing Factors and Challenges to Sustainability: A Retrospective Analysis. BACKGROUND: Household surveys undertaken in Niger since 1998 have revealed steady declines in under-5 mortality which have placed the country ‘on track’ to reach the fourth Millennium Development goal (MDG). This paper explores Niger’s mortality and health coverage data for children under-5 […]

The Rise and Fall of Universal Salt Iodization in Vietnam: Lessons Learned for Designing Sustainable Food Fortification Programs With a Public Health Impact Background: In 2005, more than 90% of Vietnamese households were using adequately iodized salt, and urinary iodine concentration among women of reproductive age was in the optimal range. However, household coverage declined […]

Capacity-building in the management of moderate acute malnutrition. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries indicates that although there is a willingness to prevent and treat malnutrition at scale, there is very limited capacity to achieve this. Three broad areas of concern are human resources and the quality of services; management systems and supplies; and demand […]