Complementary Feeding

Behavior Profile Sample: Complementary Feeding

A Behavior Profile is a summary analysis of each behavior. This sample draws from global evidence and illustrates the result of using the Create Behavior Profiles Tool to analyze factors, supporting actors and strategies and to ensure logical pathways exist between strategies proposed and factors related to the practice of the behavior. This sample may be used as a starting point or reference for creating Behavior Profiles.

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Health Goal	Improve maternal and child survival
Accelerator Behavior	Caregivers feed adequate amounts of nutritious, age-appropriate foods to children from 6 to 24 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed Percentage of breastfed children age 6-23 months fed four or more food groups and the minimum meal frequency

Behavior Analysis	Strategy
STEPS What steps are needed to practice this behavior? Obtain animal source foods and other nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables for daily meals Prepare and offer food of appropriate consistency based on age Prepare and feed required number of meals based on age Prepare and feed meals of adequate amounts based on age Prepare and feed meals hygienically Click on any box to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior. of the behavior.	FACTORS What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context. Structural Accessibility: Many households lack sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to feed child the required meals Service Provider Competencies: Providers lack the information and skills needed to effectively counsel caregivers on complementary feeding Social Family and Community Support: Heads of household and other family members often do not see the need to prepare "special" food for infant child Gender: Often certain foods are reserved for men or heads of household Norms: Some cultural and traditional practices promote a hands-off attitude toward feeding the young child Internal Knowledge: Link between optimum feeding practices and children's healthy growth and development are not well understood Knowledge: Many caregivers have insufficient information on when to initiate, what and how much food to give, and how to feed	SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS Who must support the practice of this behavior? Institutional Policymakers: Leverage and collaborate with private sector to expand access to a variety of options for nutrient rich foods Policymakers: Create nutrition safety net programs or conditional cash transfer programs in food insecure areas Policymakers: Create national nutrition policy that integrates complementary feeding into the training and supervision of health workers on child health Providers: Counsel caregivers and household members on when, how, and how much to feed the infant children, including demonstrations Community Community Leaders: Promote a variety of farming practices and prioritization of the young child's diet to ensure availability of adequate and nutritious foods for infant children Household Family Members: Support prioritization of food and active feeding style of infant or young child	POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis? Enabling Environment Policies and Governance: Create multi-sectoral National Nutrition Policies that emphasize nutritious agricultural production and practices Policies and Governance: Enact food security programs that include Conditional Cash Transfers or Vouchers or Nutrition Safety Net programs Systems, Products and Services Quality Improvement: Train and provide refresher training on complementary feeding practices among community and facility-based providers Demand and Use Advocacy : Use tools like the length mat to begin to illustrate linear growth and discuss the connection with quality of diet Communication: Conduct community nutrition education programs to promote the "cost-benefits" of complementary feeding Collective Engagement: Facilitate family and community dialogue including reflection on fatherhood, to address inequitable food division in the household Skills Building: Offer cooking classes at a variety of venues frequented by mothers of young children (e.g. essential food markets, community events, etc.)

Behavior Analysis

Strategy

STEPS

What steps are needed to practice this behavior?

Obtain animal source foods and other nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables for daily meals
Prepare and offer food of appropriate consistency based on age
Prepare and feed required number of meals based on age
Prepare and feed meals of adequate amounts based on age
Prepare and feed meals hygienically

Click on any box
to see the pathwaysA pathway illustrates how elements in the Behavior Profile are linked. When read from right to left, a pathway highlights how strategies are expected to address the factors to enable adoption of the Accelerator Behavior.
of the behavior.

FACTORS

What factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior? These should be analyzed for each country context.

Structural

Accessibility: Many households lack sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to feed child the required meals

Service Provider Competencies: Providers lack the information and skills needed to effectively counsel caregivers on complementary feeding

Social

Family and Community Support: Heads of household and other family members often do not see the need to prepare "special" food for infant child

Gender: Often certain foods are reserved for men or heads of household

Norms: Some cultural and traditional practices promote a hands-off attitude toward feeding the young child

Internal

Knowledge: Link between optimum feeding practices and children's healthy growth and development are not well understood

Knowledge: Many caregivers have insufficient information on when to initiate, what and how much food to give, and how to feed

SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONS

Who must support the practice of this behavior?

Institutional

Policymakers: Leverage and collaborate with private sector to expand access to a variety of options for nutrient rich foods

Policymakers: Create nutrition safety net programs or conditional cash transfer programs in food insecure areas

Policymakers: Create national nutrition policy that integrates complementary feeding into the training and supervision of health workers on child health

Providers: Counsel caregivers and household members on when, how, and how much to feed the infant children, including demonstrations

Community

Community Leaders: Promote a variety of farming practices and prioritization of the young child's diet to ensure availability of adequate and nutritious foods for infant children

Household

Family Members: Support prioritization of food and active feeding style of infant or young child

POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIES

How might we focus our efforts based on this analysis?

Enabling Environment

Policies and Governance: Create multi-sectoral National Nutrition Policies that emphasize nutritious agricultural production and practices

Policies and Governance: Enact food security programs that include Conditional Cash Transfers or Vouchers or Nutrition Safety Net programs

Systems, Products and Services

Quality Improvement: Train and provide refresher training on complementary feeding practices among community and facility-based providers

Demand and Use

Advocacy : Use tools like the length mat to begin to illustrate linear growth and discuss the connection with quality of diet

Communication: Conduct community nutrition education programs to promote the "cost-benefits" of complementary feeding

Collective Engagement: Facilitate family and community dialogue including reflection on fatherhood, to address inequitable food division in the household

Skills Building: Offer cooking classes at a variety of venues frequented by mothers of young children (e.g. essential food markets, community events, etc.)

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