Multi-sector coordination needed for behaviour change in nutrition – Research

A research conducted by the Navrongo Health Research Center at Lambussie on a pilot nutrition project, has revealed that multi-sector coordination for nutrition bring some impact on behaviour change.

The research has further revealed that multi-sector coordination increases knowledge and capacity of the various sectors involved which enable them to solve nutrition issues.

Mr. Koichiro Watanabe, an International Health Specialists and a Nutrition Consultant for the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) made this known while disseminating the research results at a meeting with the Upper West Regional Nutrition Committee in Wa.

The pilot nutrition project in Lambussie was an agreement between JICA and the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) with Ghana Health Service (GHS) being the implementing partner.

Mr. Watanabe said the research was necessitated by the fact that there was no actual project in the community to demonstrate the effect of multi-sector coordination for nutrition.

He said the baseline and end-line survey by the Navrongo Health Research Center therefore sought to compare results of the two to find out whether the intervention had an effect on the indicators of interest.

Mr. Watanabe noted however that some area of behaviour change needed time and resources to be able to bring about the needed change.

Mr. Anthony Kullah, Upper West Regional Nutrition Officer acknowledged the importance of such research work on interventions, saying they actually help them to be able to know whether the interventions actually have a positive effect on the population.

He cited the example that through the research they were able to know that exclusive breast feeding, Community Health Officer’s (CHOs) counselling on complementary feeding and community members’ knowledge of care giving on when to start complementary feeding have all improved.

Source: GNA