Journal article

Small grant: Integrating group counseling, cell phone messaging, and participant-generated songs and dramas into a microcredit program increases Nigerian women's adherence to international breastfeeding recommendations

08 May 14
Author(s)Valerie L. Flax, Mekebeb Negerie, Alawiyatu Usman Ibrahim, Sheila Leatherman, Eric J. Daza, Margaret E. Bentley
Topic(s): Breastfeeding, Research, Small Grants Program
Location: Nigeria
Language(s): English
Audience: Program designers and implementers
Programs: Community mobilization, Mass communication, Strategic use of data

In northern Nigeria, interventions are urgently needed to narrow the large gap between international breastfeeding recommendations and actual breastfeeding practices. This cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bauchi State, Nigeria, was designed with the aim of increasing early breastfeeding initiation and exclusive breastfeeding among female microcredit clients. The intervention had 3 components: trained credit officers led monthly breastfeeding learning sessions during regularly scheduled microcredit meetings for 10 months, text and voice messages were sent out weekly to a cell phone provided to small groups of microcredit clients, the small groups prepared songs or dramas about the messages and presented them at the monthly microcredit meetings. The control arm continued with the regular microcredit program. Findings show that the odds of exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months and timely breastfeeding initiation were increased in the intervention vs. control arm. This study documented the success of a breastfeeding promotion intervention integrated into a microcredit program in modifying breastfeeding practices in northern Nigeria.

The goal of the Alive & Thrive (A&T) Grants Program (2009 to 2014) was to identify new solutions for scaling up effective and sustainable interventions to improve infant and young child feeding by linking research to program delivery. A&T awarded eight two-year grants in 2010 and four in 2011. The Grants Program was managed by the University of California, Davis.

 
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