Undernourished pregnant women give birth to small, low birth weight babies who are often born before time and are at high risk of illness and death.

Religious leaders play an important role in reducing undernutrition by emphasizing and spreading awareness about the importance of maternal nutrition and health care in the community, and among the male members in particular.

Panchayat representatives and Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC) members play an important role in reducing undernutrition by emphasizing and spreading awareness about the importance of maternal nutrition and health care in the community, and among the male members in parti

The brief describes missed opportunities in India’s Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) programs and presents options to bridge the maternal nutrition gap in India.

Alive & Thrive conducted formative research to better understand the nutrition practices in Uttar Pradesh. We found that mothers can and will improve behaviors related to infant and young children nutrition when provided with social support and timely counseling.

Alive & Thrive conducted formative research to better understand the nutrition practices in Bihar. We learned that mothers are willing and able to eat more meals and more locally available food groups during pregnancy. Read our formative research brief to learn about other findings.