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. 2022 Apr 7;8(1):29.
doi: 10.1186/s40795-022-00511-0.

Addressing child undernutrition in Tanzania with the ASTUTE program

E Beckstead  1 , G Mulokozi  2 , M Jensen  3 , J Smith  3 , M Baldauf  3 , K A Dearden  2 , M Linehan  2 , S Torres  2 , J Glenn  3 , J H West  3 , P C Hall  3 , B T Crookston  3
Affiliations

Addressing child undernutrition in Tanzania with the ASTUTE program

E Beckstead et al. BMC Nutr. .

Abstract

Background: Optimal infant and young child feeding practices (IYCFP) reduce childhood stunting and are associated with additional health benefits. In Tanzania, IYCFP are far from optimal where 32% of children under the age of 5 years are stunted. The purpose of this study was to examine whether behavior change communication focused on reducing child undernutrition was associated with improved IYCFP in Tanzania.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was administered to approximately 10,000 households with children under the age of 2 at baseline and endline. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between exposure to behavior change communication and timely initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding, continued breastfeeding at one year, timely complementary feeding (CF), minimum meal frequency (MMF), minimum dietary diversity (MDD), and minimum acceptable diet (MAD).

Results: Mothers who heard a radio spot about IYCFP were more likely than mothers who had not heard a radio spot about IYCFP to begin complementary foods at six months. Their children were also more likely to achieve MMF, MDD, and MAD with odds ratios of 2.227 (p = 0.0061), 1.222 (p = 0.0454), 1.618 (p = < .0001), and 1.511 (p = 0.0002), respectively. Mothers who saw a TV spot about IYCFP were more likely to have greater odds of knowing when to begin complementary feeding, feeding their child a minimally diverse diet (4 food groups or more), and serving a minimum acceptable diet with odds ratios of 1.335 (p = 0.0081), 1.360 (p = 0.0003), and 1.268 (p = 0.0156), respectively.

Conclusion: Exposure to behavior change communication in Tanzania was generally associated with some increased knowledge of optimal IYCFP as well as practicing IYCF behaviors. Behavior change communication planners and implementers may want to consider conducting similar campaigns as an important component of behavior change to reduce undernutrition and poor health outcomes in developing settings.

Keywords: Behavior change communication; Child undernutrition; Infant and young child feeding practices; Mass media intervention.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Map of intervention area. This map was provided by the ASTUTE program and is used with permission
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization Institutional Repository for Information Sharing. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/44117. Accessed 2 Feb 2021.
    1. UNICEF: Infant and young child feeding. https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/. Accessed 2 Feb 2021.
    1. UNICEF and the European Union: Improving nutrition security in africa: An EU-UNICEF joint action. http://scalingupnutrition.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/EU-UNICEF-ANSP-.... Accessed 2 Feb 2021.
    1. Victor R, v SK, Agho KE, Dibley MJ. Determinants of breastfeeding indicators among children less than 24 months of age in tanzania: A secondary analysis of the2010Tanzania demographic and health survey. BMJ Open. 2013;3(1):e001529. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001529. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Muhimbula HS, Issa-Zacharia A. Persistent child malnutrition in tanzania: Risks associated with traditional complementary foods (A review) Afr J Food Sci. 2010;4(11):679–692.

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