Infant and young child feeding in communities: A rapid assessment in Tigray and SNNPR, Ethiopia
In late 2009 and early 2010, Alive & Thrive (A&T) conducted formative research studies on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, beliefs, and influences in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) and Tigray region. To complement the findings of those studies, a rapid assessment was conducted to assess suitable channels for community behavior change communication (BCC), assess the training needs of health extension workers (HEWs) and voluntary community health promoters (VCHPs), and identify available BCC materials and possible needs. The assessment was conducted in SNNPR and Tigray by the in-country A&T team.
The assessment was qualitative and included 24 separate focus group discussions (FGDs) with mothers, fathers, HEWs, and VCHPs in selected kebeles of six woredas of the two regional states (three from each). The FGDs helped to explore how and where HEWs and VCHPs identify pregnant and lactating mothers and what kinds of messages they deliver during different stages of pregnancy and post natal periods. In addition, the rapid assessment attempted to investigate HEWs’ and VCHPs’ perceptions of IYCF standard practices, preferred communication channels for getting information, access to mass media, the availability of and need for training and BCC materials, and potential partners to improve IYCF practices among the community. With fathers and HEWs, FGDs were also used to test concepts that could appeal to their emotion and inspire them to become committed to improving IYCF practices. Even though several of the concepts were more factual than emotional, fathers and HEWs understood the idea and showed great effort in selecting and prioritizing the concepts that attract their interest in a remarkable way.
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