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Watson D, Mushamiri P, Beeri P, Rouamba T, Jenner S, Proebstl S, Kehoe SH, Ward KA, Barker M, Lawrence W. Behaviour change interventions improve maternal and child nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0000401. [PMID: 36996036 PMCID: PMC10062616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Evidence that nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions can improve maternal and child nutrition status in sub-Saharan Africa is inconclusive. Using behaviour change theory and techniques in intervention design may increase effectiveness and make outcomes more predictable. This systematic review aimed to determine whether interventions that included behaviour change functions were effective. Six databases were searched systematically, using MeSH and free-text terms, for articles describing nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive behaviour change interventions published in English until January 2022. Titles, abstracts and full-text papers were double-screened. Data extraction and quality assessments followed Centre for Reviews and Dissemination guidelines. Behaviour change functions of interventions were mapped onto the COM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel. PROSPERO registered (135054). The search yielded 1193 articles: 79 articles met inclusion criteria, ranging from low (n = 30) to high (n = 11) risk of bias. Many that applied behaviour change theory, communication or counselling resulted in significant improvements in infant stunting and wasting, household dietary intake and maternal psychosocial measures. Interventions with >2 behaviour change functions (including persuasion, incentivisation, environmental restructuring) were the most effective. We recommend incorporating behaviour change functions in nutrition interventions to improve maternal and child outcomes, specifically drawing on the Behaviour Change Wheel, COM-B model (SORT B recommendation). To enhance the designs of these interventions, and ultimately improve the nutritional and psychosocial outcomes for mothers and infants in sub-Saharan Africa, collaborations are recommended between behaviour change and nutrition experts, intervention designers, policy makers and commissioners to fund and roll-out multicomponent behaviour change interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Watson
- Global Health Research Institute, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- SAMRC Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Patience Mushamiri
- SAMRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, PRICELESS, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Paula Beeri
- Navrongo Health Research Centre, Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana
| | - Toussaint Rouamba
- Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Institute for Research in Health Sciences, National Center for Scientific and Technological Research, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Sarah Jenner
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Proebstl
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology-IBE, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Pettenkofer School of Public Health, Munich, Germany
| | - Sarah H Kehoe
- Global Health Research Institute, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Kate A Ward
- Global Health Research Institute, Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Mary Barker
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Wendy Lawrence
- Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Kodish SR, Farhikhtah A, Mlambo T, Hambayi MN, Jones V, Aburto NJ. Leveraging the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement to Operationalize Stunting Prevention Activities: Implementation Lessons From Rural Malawi. Food Nutr Bull 2021; 43:104-120. [PMID: 34747237 DOI: 10.1177/03795721211046140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The rural district of Ntchisi is in the central region of Malawi. Among children aged 6 to 23 months, the stunting prevalence is 40% to 50%. To address this high prevalence, the World Food Programme, with cooperating partners, supported the Government of Malawi to implement an integrated stunting prevention program entitled The Right Foods at the Right Time from 2013 to 2018. OBJECTIVE To provide implementation lessons learned from systematic documentation of how the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement, combined with other international and national initiatives and policies, was translated into tailored programming. METHODS During program conception, early design, and implementation, this descriptive study systematically documented the process of translating SUN principles and government policies into an operational stunting prevention program in rural Malawi. RESULTS We identified 8 factors that contributed to successful translation of policy into program activities: (1) well-structured National SUN framework, (2) reliable coordination platforms and district ownership, (3) systematic and evidence-informed program design, (4) multiple forms of data used to inform program planning, (5) multisectoral implementation approaches to stunting prevention, (6) innovation in technology to improve overall program efficiency, (7) systematic collaboration among diverse stakeholders, and (8) strong public health nutrition capacity of program team members. CONCLUSIONS Lessons from this nutrition program in Ntchisi, Malawi, provide one case illustrating how the SUN movement, government policies, and global evidence base can be operationalized into tailored programming for improving nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen R Kodish
- United Nations World Food Programme Headquarters, Rome, Italy.,The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Arghanoon Farhikhtah
- United Nations World Food Programme Headquarters, Rome, Italy.,Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
| | - Trust Mlambo
- United Nations World Food Programme, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | | | - Vanessa Jones
- United Nations World Food Programme Headquarters, Rome, Italy
| | - Nancy J Aburto
- United Nations World Food Programme Headquarters, Rome, Italy.,Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, Italy
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