Nutrition Communication Strategy.

This Nutrition Communication Strategy is a set of indications aimed to promote behaviour change focusing on changing behaviours of individuals on adolescent and maternal nutrition, infant and young child nutrition, strengthening uptake of clinical nutrition services along with mainstreaming nutrition in multi-sectoral interventions. The strategy is based on three key mutually reinforcing communication approaches which are advocacy, social mobilisation along with social and behaviour change communication. Advocacy will focus on influencing decision makers and opinion leaders to support messages communicated by the nutrition strategy as well as creating an enabling operating environment. Social mobilisation will involve enlisting the participation of institutions, community networks and social and religious groups to use their membership and other resources to raise awareness of optimum nutrition practices. Social and behaviour change communication will focus on interpersonal dialogue with individuals and groups to inform, motivate, problem-solve or plan, with the objective of promoting optimal nutrition related behaviour change.
Objectives of the Strategy are regarding the improving of adolescent and maternal nutrition, lack of knowledge on the benefits of iron and folate supplementation, adherence to iron and folate supplements, non- availability of fortified foods, low demand for nutritious foods among adolescents and women of child bearing age; infant and child nutrition (including issue such as low exclusive breastfeeding rate, low minimum acceptable diet, low continued breastfeeding levels, low coverage of vitamin A supplementation, low consumption of iron rich foods – animal source foods; strengthening uptake of clinical nutrition services (including low adoption of healthy lifestyles-diversified diets and decreased consumption of sugary beverages, limited awareness on ways of preventing nutrition-related health disorders, limited access to infrastructure and equipment for screening and treatment of Nutrition-related health disorders or problems; mainstreaming nutrition in multi-sectoral interventions (including use of contaminated/unsafe water, unhygienic practices in food preparation, unhygienic practices in disposal of human and animal excreta; rising awareness on the health hazards of using contaminated water and unhygienic practices in food preparation; promoting use of safe water; promoting adoption and sustenance of hygienic food preparation practices.