Formative research for the development of a home fortification programme for young children (supported by UNICEF Lao PDR, MMG Limited and the University of British Columbia)

Background

Although Lao PDR has made significant progress in the area of child and maternal mortality reduction, high undernutrition prevalence remains one of the biggest challenges for the country. Anaemia and stunting are serious public health problems in Lao, with 41% of children under 5 estimated to suffer from iron deficiency anaemia and between 30% and 40% stunted or underweight (WHO 2015). One of the primary causes of anaemia in Lao PDR is undernutrition, especially during the first two years of life. The percentage of children under five who are underweight and stunted rises pointedly between six and eight months old. This highlights the critical importance of maternal nutrition and adequate nutrition in the first 1,000 days of life for the prevention of growth faltering and the improvement of child development.

Our work

In 2013, the Nourish team provided technical support to the Government of Lao PDR and UNICEF to conduct formative research to support the design of an operations pilot of home fortification with MNP for young children. This included key informant interviews and focus group discussions with caregivers, healthcare providers, and community leaders to gain insights into their knowledge of child feeding practices and anaemia. This was followed by an acceptability trial to gather information on the acceptability and utilization of MNP in the household.