Mothers of Young Children in Nepal Prefer Poshan Nanglo (Nutrition Tray) for Nutrition Social Behaviour Change Communication

Abstract

It is necessary to significantly accelerate the progress for optimal young child feeding practices in order to attain global nutrition goals and targets. Innovative and compelling communication approaches should be explored and tested to change social behaviours towards nutrition. A concept promoted in Nepal known as Poshan Nanglo (Nutrition Tray), is an interactive demonstration of locally available and nutritiously diverse foods.
 Using qualitative methodology, this study adopts the phenomenology method to understand preferences and perceptions of Poshan Nanglo among mothers of young children. A total of 305 mothers of children aged 6 to 23 months were interviewed from September 2019 to January 2020. 90%preferred Poshan Nanglo over printed materials. Three themes emerged: a simple and an easy way to learn, the use of real foods help to understand better and it is a practical approach.
 Thus mothers preferred and appreciated Poshan Nanglo to improve their understanding of good child feeding practices. These mothers also showed improvements in relating the importance of locally available nutritious foods for optimal dietary diversity. Approaching behaviour change should be informed and shaped by the beneficiaries’ interests and preferences. As a simple and sustainable approach in communicating about dietary diversity and good nutrition, Poshan Nanglo has wide relevance and potential.

Right message, right medium, right time: powering counseling to improve maternal, infant, and young child nutrition in South Asia

“…There is opportunity to enrich growth charts with standard messages for mother/caregiver based on child’s nutritional status (green, yellow or red zone). Beyond use of counseling materials and demonstrations, discussions around important life events like pregnancy announcements or the initiation of complementary feeding have been successful in changing MIYCN behaviors in South Asia due to wider community engagement, the engagement of males, and less dependance on literacy ( 45 , 46 ).…”