Papers by Noreen Mucha, M.P.A.
Final Report for the Formative Independent Evaluation of the National Program to Accelerate Stunting Reduction (2018-2024), 2024
The Indonesian National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention aims to accelerate the reducti... more The Indonesian National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention aims to accelerate the reduction of child stunting to 14% by 2024 and improve the nutrition status of children and women across Indonesia.
The primary purpose of this formative evaluation is: 1) to assess the performance of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention at both the national and sub-national levels; and 2) to generate evidence and learning to guide future programming. This evaluation analyzes the appropriateness of the programme design, its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender, equity and human rights. The evaluation also identifies lessons learned and provides recommendations for the next phase of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention.
The conclusions of this evaluation are based on a review of relevant documentation, consultations with key stakeholders, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FDGs), all of which reached more than 967 individuals. The evaluation covered the programme’s four-year implementation period, from November 2018 to April 2023.
National Nutrition Information System: Technical Note: Building a Strong Core Team, 2024
The Technical Note on Building a Strong Core Team is a component of the full guide on National Nu... more The Technical Note on Building a Strong Core Team is a component of the full guide on National Nutrition Information Systems (NNIS), a product of the WHO-UNICEF Technical Expert Advisory group on nutrition Monitoring (TEAM), which is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The TEAM Working Group on Nutrition Information Systems was responsible for the development of this Technical Note.
TEAM acknowledges the contributions of David Hales (Consultant), Chika Hayashi (UNICEF Headquarters), Rebecca Heidkamp (TEAM Working Group Lead), Noreen Mucha (consultant), Louise Mwirigi (UNICEF Headquarters) and Kuntal Saha (WHO Headquarters), who conceptualized and led the production of this document, including its writing and revision. The Working Group acknowledges the contributions of Julia D’Aloisio (Editor) and Nona Reuter (Designer, UNICEF). The Working Group is also grateful to nutrition colleagues who reviewed the draft and shared specific experiences and insights.
eed the Future Growth through Nutrition Activity: Improving the Nutritional Status of Women and Children in Ethiopia, 2023
Save the Children (SC) led the implementation of the United States Agency for International Devel... more Save the Children (SC) led the implementation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded $79 million, flagship six-year (2016-2023) Feed the Future (FTF) Ethiopia Growth through Nutrition Activity multisectoral project with six international partners and five local partners. Growth through Nutrition integrated agriculture, health, education and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions aiming to improve the nutritional status of women, adolescents, and children under five years of age while also reducing child stunting in the targeted 120 woredas in six regions of Ethiopia, including Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNPR), Oromia, Amhara, Sidama, South West Ethiopia Peoples’, and Tigray. The project worked closely to strengthen local ownership with the Government of Ethiopia across all levels, including federal, regional, zonal, woreda, and kebele levels and across multiple sectors, working in close coordination with the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, Education, and Water, Irrigation, and Energy. Growth through Nutrition provided nutrition-specific interventions for more than 8.3 million children under five years and 1.2 million pregnant and lactating women, and nutrition-sensitive interventions to 38,889 most vulnerable households, reaching a total of approximately 28 million individuals either directly or indirectly.
Final Evaluation of the EU-UNICEF "National Information Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN) in Lao PDR" 2018-2022, 2022
The National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) in Lao PDR was a € 2,9 million EUR technic... more The National Information Platform for Nutrition (NIPN) in Lao PDR was a € 2,9 million EUR technical assistance program that was implemented through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Lao PDR, supported by the European Union (EU) over four years—from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2022. There was a no-cost extension until September 30, 2022. NIPN is a global initiative of the EU with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the United Kingdom (UK) Government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. NIPN’s goal is to provide support to countries to strengthen their nutrition information systems and to improve data analysis in order to better inform nutrition program and strategies to prevent malnutrition and its consequences.
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Final evaluation of “Partnership for Improved Nutrition in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) [PIN] Program Evaluation, 2021
This document is the results of a process evaluation conducted for the European Union (EU)-funded... more This document is the results of a process evaluation conducted for the European Union (EU)-funded € 14,7 million ‘Partnership for Improved Nutrition in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) [PIN] program, implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) along with the Government of Lao PDR (GOL) that focused on two pillar objectives. Pillar 1 focused on support to strengthen nutrition governance and pillar 2 focused on support for scaling-up evidence-based, sustainable nutrition-specific interventions. These two pillar objectives complimented other EU-nutrition programming in a portfolio focusing on these two pillars as well as pillar 3-nutrition-sensitive agriculture with four additional programs.1 The overall goal of the PIN program is to contribute to improvements in the nutritional status of children and women across Lao PDR. PIN is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal 2, to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” and Lao’s 8th and 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plans.
Scaling up Nutrition (SUN) Pooled Fund Review, 2022
Following the 2019-2020 SUN’s strategic review13 in line with the re-orientation of the SUN Movem... more Following the 2019-2020 SUN’s strategic review13 in line with the re-orientation of the SUN Movement, the Operationalization Group (referred to as “OPs” Group) recommended a review of the Pooled Fund mechanism to “assess the fund orientations to support leveraging of country finance and development of country finance capacity for this, but also to support fund replenishment.” The Pooled Fund Consultative Group endorsed the
idea of a review and vision exercise in July 2021 and the decision to launch a consultative review was endorsed by the Executive Committee (ExCom) in August 2021, in order to “review of the Pooled Fund and its future direction starting in the last quarter of 2021.”
Country-led Process Evaluation of the Cash Transfer Programme for Pregnant Women and Children Under 2, 2021
Montrose was contracted by UNICEF Cambodia on behalf of RGC, GS-NSPC and MoSVY to conduct a count... more Montrose was contracted by UNICEF Cambodia on behalf of RGC, GS-NSPC and MoSVY to conduct a country-led process evaluation of the Programme, with the purpose of fostering learning and improvement of the implementation of the Programme. In line with the modified criteria outlined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the objectives of the evaluation were to analyse the relevance of the design to meet Programme objectives and of the size of the cash benefit provided, assess the effectiveness of key components of the design, assess the efficiency of implementation, analyse early impacts at the household level on beneficiary well-being and access to services, examine coherence in the Programme and its coordination and linkages among stakeholders, construct the ToC of the Programme to guide the evaluation and assess cross-cutting issues of equity, gender equality and human rights.
Nutrition Information and Analysis Systems in Yemen, 2021
TASC was requested to review the Nutrition Information and Analysis Systems (NIS) including indic... more TASC was requested to review the Nutrition Information and Analysis Systems (NIS) including indicators, data collection, analysis and use in Yemen through a situational analysis exercise. The assignment aimed to systematically identify factors which affect the collection, analysis, dissemination, and utilization of timely, accurate and representative nutrition information in Yemen, through in-depth consultation with relevant stakeholders and an additional desk-based scoping review. The results of this exercise are intended to help stakeholders to clearly define a set of sequential actions (immediate, short-term and long-term) to address key challenges and barriers in the NIS to help improve the overall availability, quality, analysis and utilization of data.
Nutrition Counseling and Care During and After Childhood Illness Literature Review- Evidence from African Countries, 2021
Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is key for child survival, growth, and development.... more Optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) is key for child survival, growth, and development. Within IYCF, nutrition counseling and services during and after illness are vital, and therefore integrated into child survival policies, strategies, and programs such as the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) and Integrated Community Case Management (iCCM). Many African countries have been implementing infant IYCF counseling as part of their child health services, particularly iCCM and IMCI, for many years. However, some evidence suggests that the quality of feeding counseling and services during sick child visits remains poor in many contexts. There is a dearth of information on nutrition care services and practices during and after common childhood illness over the last two decades in Africa. This review provides synthesized information on nutrition counseling and care during and after childhood illness in Africa, reports trends for feeding and care practices over the last 15 years (2005–2020), and investigates caregivers’ practices and health providers’ support for nutrition counseling during and after childhood illness.
Overweight and Obesity in Low-and Middle-Income Countries, 2018
There is a double burden of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)—with challeng... more There is a double burden of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)—with challenges for both undernutrition and overweight/obesity. Trends of increasing overweight and obesity hinder progress on maternal and infant health, which also has important implications for future economic development. Maternal overweight and obesity are associated with maternal morbidity, preterm birth and increased infant mortality (Black et al, 2013). In 1990, obesity-related disability-adjusted life years in LMIC were estimated to be 518 per 100,000 people; by 2010, this figure had risen 90 percent, to affect 985 per 100,000 people (Dobbs et al, 2014). As well, between 2006 and 2015, the cost of lost economic productivity due to obesity-related cardiovascular disease and diabetes in LMIC was estimated to be US$84 billion (Abegunde et al, 2007). Understanding the current global status of overweight and obesity will be vital for addressing the double burden of malnutrition.
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Maximising the Quality of Scaling Up Nutrition (MQSUN) is funded through the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and provides evidence-based technical expertise to DFID country offices and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement for the design and implementation of effective multisectoral nutrition programming and policies.
In 2015, MQSUN conducted a targeted review of the current research on maternal and child overweight and obesity to understand the current situation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); identify recent trends and context-specific risk factors to better understand how to prevent overweight and obesity; and to identify entry points for leveraging existing undernutrition programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in LMIC.
To identify relevant trends and risk factors, MQSUN analysed Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data on overweight and obesity amongst women and children for most countries, and data from the Global Burden of Disease Study for countries for which DHS data were not available. Additionally, MQSUN developed a conceptual framework highlighting key policies, programmes and interventions that could be prioritised to address overweight and obesity in LMIC. Lastly, MQSUN identified research gaps that should readily be addressed to support evidence-based policy and programming for the double burden of malnutrition.
« Strategies and evidence-based action to address both undernutrition and overweight and obesity are urgently needed.
FY 18 McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Project, 2019
The purpose of this baseline evaluation of the USDA-funded McGovern Dole project in Cameron was t... more The purpose of this baseline evaluation of the USDA-funded McGovern Dole project in Cameron was to establish initial figures of key project outcomes, which will provide a platform for assessing progress and impact of project activities at both midline and end-line periods.
The baseline evaluation primarily establishes baseline values for the following:
a) Strategic Objective 1: Improved literacy of school-age children in targeted schools
b) Strategic Objective 2: Increased use of health, nutrition and dietary practices
c) Key outcome and output indicators2
The evaluation also includes three specific research questions:
1) What is the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age)?
2) What is the children’s knowledge, attitudes and practices in terms of hygiene?
3) What are the main reasons for student absenteeism?
Findings from these questions will inform Nascent’s design and planning of project interventions
Impact Evaluation of USAID Nurture in Laos Enumerator Training Reference Manual, 2017
USAID aimed to test the USAID Nurture program’s effectiveness in reducing child stunting in targe... more USAID aimed to test the USAID Nurture program’s effectiveness in reducing child stunting in targeted Provinces/Districts/villages in Laos through a targeted, integrated, multisectoral nutrition intervention approach that could be replicated and potentially scaled-up in other settings across the country. To minimize bias, USAID has contracted
this impact evaluation to an external party. Social Impact will investigate the success of this integrated intervention model by its effectiveness in changing infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes ultimately reducing child stunting as the overall impact. This household survey will provide data and feedback to help increase the effectiveness of program implementation.
Nutrition In Feed The Future: A Decade of Feed The Future’s Impact on Nutrition, 2022
This policy brief summarizes the findings from a comprehensive desk review and situational analys... more This policy brief summarizes the findings from a comprehensive desk review and situational analysis of Feed the Future programming to improve nutritional impact and outcomes - especially for women’s and children’s nutrition across focus countries - since 2011. This analysis covered the period from FTF’s beginning in Phase 1 (2010-16) to its present implementation in Phase 2 (2017-21). The analysis was conducted from January to August 2020 and does not include any updated data,
evaluations or guidance from September 2020 to the publish date of this brief. In addition to the desk review, there were focused discussions with both previous and current U.S. Government staff that helped to clarify questions and highlight the best practices for scaling up to help achieve longer-term nutritional outcomes and impacts. Both the document review
and interviews helped identify best practices, challenges and lessons learned. The findings will help in formulating the final recommendations for an even stronger U.S. government response to global nutrition programming in the next phase of the global hunger and food security initiative.
The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Program Performance Evaluation: Malawi, 2015
The USAID Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains (INVC) project is a flagship Feed the Future init... more The USAID Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains (INVC) project is a flagship Feed the Future initiative being implemented in seven districts of Malawi between April 2012 and October 2016. The goal of INVC is to sustainably reduce rural poverty and improve nutrition through the integration of agriculture and nutrition interventions. The target population is low-income farmers with 0.5-2 hectares who are self-sufficient in maize but are motivated to increase production of food legumes—specifically
groundnuts and soybeans. The project aims to reach 275,000 farmers in improved food production and 150,000 children less than three years with improved nutrition.
This performance evaluation is to assess INVC’s performance in four primary components of activity (value chain competitiveness, agricultural productivity, nutrition, and local capacity development), glean
key lessons learned, determine if any local partners are ready and willing to be direct USAID awardees, and help inform future agriculture, nutrition, and LCD activity design.
The Evaluation Team relied on quantitative M&E programmatic data but emphasized qualitative primary data gathered from the project’s five levels of stakeholders: (1) the INVC Consortium; (2) Local Subpartners;
(3) District; (4) EPA/Village; and (5) beneficiaries. Agriculture and nutrition programming progresses through each of these levels to reach beneficiary households. Interviews were conducted in five districts—Lilongwe, Mchiinji, Dedza, Balaka, and Manchinga and included 529 stakeholders, 284 females and 25 males. Stakeholders interviewed ranged from USAID to INVC management through all levels of implementers to direct beneficiaries.
Bread for the World Institute provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. The In... more Bread for the World Institute provides policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it. The Institute educates its network, opinion leaders, policy makers and the public about hunger in the United States and abroad. • Gender inequality is linked to higher rates of child mortality and malnutrition. • Improvements in women’s access to resources, ability to make independent decisions, and level of education are critical to better nutrition, both for young children and the whole family. • In some societies, girls are far more likely than boys to be stunted by malnutrition. A combination of efforts to improve agriculture, programs focused on better nutrition for pregnant women and children younger than 2, and initiatives to empower women as agents of change will help reduce gender disparities in household food consumption. • Using a gender perspective—including tools such as gender analysis, gendersensitive strategies and activities, and gender audits—will make programs aimed at impro...
Malnutrition in Zambia has remained high for many years despite increasing economic growth. High ... more Malnutrition in Zambia has remained high for many years despite increasing economic growth. High disease burden, limited access to health services, poverty, poor sanitation and food insecurity all contribute to child malnutrition. Zambia’s food and nutrition security challenges are exacerbated by high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, mono-cropping, a lack of market incentives and a poor, non-diverse diet—which consists of staple foods such as cereal (maize) and starchy roots with few micronutrient-dense foods such as animal-source foods, fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, since Zambia has recently graduated to a middle-income country, development aid is dwindling and the recent copper price crash has resulted in very few government resources to fight high rates of malnutrition.
Improving Multisectoral Nutrition through Targeted Technical Assistance: Zambia, 2017
Malnutrition in Zambia has remained high for many years despite increasing economic growth. High ... more Malnutrition in Zambia has remained high for many years despite increasing economic growth. High disease burden, limited access to health services, poverty, poor sanitation and food insecurity all contribute to child malnutrition. Zambia’s food and nutrition security challenges are exacerbated by high dependence on rain-fed agriculture, mono-cropping, a lack of market incentives and a poor, non-diverse diet—which consists of staple foods such as cereal (maize) and starchy roots with few micronutrient-dense foods such as animal-source foods, fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, since Zambia has recently graduated to a middle-income country, development aid is dwindling and the recent copper price crash has resulted in very few government resources to fight high rates of malnutrition.
Improving Multisectoral Nutrition through Targeted Technical Assistance: Pakistan, 2018
Malnutrition is endemic in Pakistan . Major factors leading to malnutrition include poverty, food... more Malnutrition is endemic in Pakistan . Major factors leading to malnutrition include poverty, food insecurity and high illiteracy rates amongst mothers. Most households spend almost half their income on food, yet household food security shows little sign of improvement. Whilst overall fertility is high, antenatal care is very low. Women have limited freedom to access medical care for themselves and their children—making it difficult to monitor and treat malnutrition when it occurs. In Balochistan, rural Sindh and southern Punjab, inadequate access to clean water and sanitation also contribute to high rates of malnutrition, diarrhoea and infectious disease.
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Papers by Noreen Mucha, M.P.A.
The primary purpose of this formative evaluation is: 1) to assess the performance of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention at both the national and sub-national levels; and 2) to generate evidence and learning to guide future programming. This evaluation analyzes the appropriateness of the programme design, its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender, equity and human rights. The evaluation also identifies lessons learned and provides recommendations for the next phase of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention.
The conclusions of this evaluation are based on a review of relevant documentation, consultations with key stakeholders, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FDGs), all of which reached more than 967 individuals. The evaluation covered the programme’s four-year implementation period, from November 2018 to April 2023.
TEAM acknowledges the contributions of David Hales (Consultant), Chika Hayashi (UNICEF Headquarters), Rebecca Heidkamp (TEAM Working Group Lead), Noreen Mucha (consultant), Louise Mwirigi (UNICEF Headquarters) and Kuntal Saha (WHO Headquarters), who conceptualized and led the production of this document, including its writing and revision. The Working Group acknowledges the contributions of Julia D’Aloisio (Editor) and Nona Reuter (Designer, UNICEF). The Working Group is also grateful to nutrition colleagues who reviewed the draft and shared specific experiences and insights.
idea of a review and vision exercise in July 2021 and the decision to launch a consultative review was endorsed by the Executive Committee (ExCom) in August 2021, in order to “review of the Pooled Fund and its future direction starting in the last quarter of 2021.”
________________________________________________________________________
Maximising the Quality of Scaling Up Nutrition (MQSUN) is funded through the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and provides evidence-based technical expertise to DFID country offices and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement for the design and implementation of effective multisectoral nutrition programming and policies.
In 2015, MQSUN conducted a targeted review of the current research on maternal and child overweight and obesity to understand the current situation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); identify recent trends and context-specific risk factors to better understand how to prevent overweight and obesity; and to identify entry points for leveraging existing undernutrition programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in LMIC.
To identify relevant trends and risk factors, MQSUN analysed Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data on overweight and obesity amongst women and children for most countries, and data from the Global Burden of Disease Study for countries for which DHS data were not available. Additionally, MQSUN developed a conceptual framework highlighting key policies, programmes and interventions that could be prioritised to address overweight and obesity in LMIC. Lastly, MQSUN identified research gaps that should readily be addressed to support evidence-based policy and programming for the double burden of malnutrition.
« Strategies and evidence-based action to address both undernutrition and overweight and obesity are urgently needed.
The baseline evaluation primarily establishes baseline values for the following:
a) Strategic Objective 1: Improved literacy of school-age children in targeted schools
b) Strategic Objective 2: Increased use of health, nutrition and dietary practices
c) Key outcome and output indicators2
The evaluation also includes three specific research questions:
1) What is the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age)?
2) What is the children’s knowledge, attitudes and practices in terms of hygiene?
3) What are the main reasons for student absenteeism?
Findings from these questions will inform Nascent’s design and planning of project interventions
this impact evaluation to an external party. Social Impact will investigate the success of this integrated intervention model by its effectiveness in changing infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes ultimately reducing child stunting as the overall impact. This household survey will provide data and feedback to help increase the effectiveness of program implementation.
evaluations or guidance from September 2020 to the publish date of this brief. In addition to the desk review, there were focused discussions with both previous and current U.S. Government staff that helped to clarify questions and highlight the best practices for scaling up to help achieve longer-term nutritional outcomes and impacts. Both the document review
and interviews helped identify best practices, challenges and lessons learned. The findings will help in formulating the final recommendations for an even stronger U.S. government response to global nutrition programming in the next phase of the global hunger and food security initiative.
groundnuts and soybeans. The project aims to reach 275,000 farmers in improved food production and 150,000 children less than three years with improved nutrition.
This performance evaluation is to assess INVC’s performance in four primary components of activity (value chain competitiveness, agricultural productivity, nutrition, and local capacity development), glean
key lessons learned, determine if any local partners are ready and willing to be direct USAID awardees, and help inform future agriculture, nutrition, and LCD activity design.
The Evaluation Team relied on quantitative M&E programmatic data but emphasized qualitative primary data gathered from the project’s five levels of stakeholders: (1) the INVC Consortium; (2) Local Subpartners;
(3) District; (4) EPA/Village; and (5) beneficiaries. Agriculture and nutrition programming progresses through each of these levels to reach beneficiary households. Interviews were conducted in five districts—Lilongwe, Mchiinji, Dedza, Balaka, and Manchinga and included 529 stakeholders, 284 females and 25 males. Stakeholders interviewed ranged from USAID to INVC management through all levels of implementers to direct beneficiaries.
The primary purpose of this formative evaluation is: 1) to assess the performance of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention at both the national and sub-national levels; and 2) to generate evidence and learning to guide future programming. This evaluation analyzes the appropriateness of the programme design, its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and the integration of cross-cutting issues such as gender, equity and human rights. The evaluation also identifies lessons learned and provides recommendations for the next phase of the National Strategy to Accelerate Stunting Prevention.
The conclusions of this evaluation are based on a review of relevant documentation, consultations with key stakeholders, key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FDGs), all of which reached more than 967 individuals. The evaluation covered the programme’s four-year implementation period, from November 2018 to April 2023.
TEAM acknowledges the contributions of David Hales (Consultant), Chika Hayashi (UNICEF Headquarters), Rebecca Heidkamp (TEAM Working Group Lead), Noreen Mucha (consultant), Louise Mwirigi (UNICEF Headquarters) and Kuntal Saha (WHO Headquarters), who conceptualized and led the production of this document, including its writing and revision. The Working Group acknowledges the contributions of Julia D’Aloisio (Editor) and Nona Reuter (Designer, UNICEF). The Working Group is also grateful to nutrition colleagues who reviewed the draft and shared specific experiences and insights.
idea of a review and vision exercise in July 2021 and the decision to launch a consultative review was endorsed by the Executive Committee (ExCom) in August 2021, in order to “review of the Pooled Fund and its future direction starting in the last quarter of 2021.”
________________________________________________________________________
Maximising the Quality of Scaling Up Nutrition (MQSUN) is funded through the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and provides evidence-based technical expertise to DFID country offices and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement for the design and implementation of effective multisectoral nutrition programming and policies.
In 2015, MQSUN conducted a targeted review of the current research on maternal and child overweight and obesity to understand the current situation in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); identify recent trends and context-specific risk factors to better understand how to prevent overweight and obesity; and to identify entry points for leveraging existing undernutrition programmes to prevent overweight and obesity in LMIC.
To identify relevant trends and risk factors, MQSUN analysed Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data on overweight and obesity amongst women and children for most countries, and data from the Global Burden of Disease Study for countries for which DHS data were not available. Additionally, MQSUN developed a conceptual framework highlighting key policies, programmes and interventions that could be prioritised to address overweight and obesity in LMIC. Lastly, MQSUN identified research gaps that should readily be addressed to support evidence-based policy and programming for the double burden of malnutrition.
« Strategies and evidence-based action to address both undernutrition and overweight and obesity are urgently needed.
The baseline evaluation primarily establishes baseline values for the following:
a) Strategic Objective 1: Improved literacy of school-age children in targeted schools
b) Strategic Objective 2: Increased use of health, nutrition and dietary practices
c) Key outcome and output indicators2
The evaluation also includes three specific research questions:
1) What is the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women of reproductive age (15-49 years of age)?
2) What is the children’s knowledge, attitudes and practices in terms of hygiene?
3) What are the main reasons for student absenteeism?
Findings from these questions will inform Nascent’s design and planning of project interventions
this impact evaluation to an external party. Social Impact will investigate the success of this integrated intervention model by its effectiveness in changing infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) outcomes ultimately reducing child stunting as the overall impact. This household survey will provide data and feedback to help increase the effectiveness of program implementation.
evaluations or guidance from September 2020 to the publish date of this brief. In addition to the desk review, there were focused discussions with both previous and current U.S. Government staff that helped to clarify questions and highlight the best practices for scaling up to help achieve longer-term nutritional outcomes and impacts. Both the document review
and interviews helped identify best practices, challenges and lessons learned. The findings will help in formulating the final recommendations for an even stronger U.S. government response to global nutrition programming in the next phase of the global hunger and food security initiative.
groundnuts and soybeans. The project aims to reach 275,000 farmers in improved food production and 150,000 children less than three years with improved nutrition.
This performance evaluation is to assess INVC’s performance in four primary components of activity (value chain competitiveness, agricultural productivity, nutrition, and local capacity development), glean
key lessons learned, determine if any local partners are ready and willing to be direct USAID awardees, and help inform future agriculture, nutrition, and LCD activity design.
The Evaluation Team relied on quantitative M&E programmatic data but emphasized qualitative primary data gathered from the project’s five levels of stakeholders: (1) the INVC Consortium; (2) Local Subpartners;
(3) District; (4) EPA/Village; and (5) beneficiaries. Agriculture and nutrition programming progresses through each of these levels to reach beneficiary households. Interviews were conducted in five districts—Lilongwe, Mchiinji, Dedza, Balaka, and Manchinga and included 529 stakeholders, 284 females and 25 males. Stakeholders interviewed ranged from USAID to INVC management through all levels of implementers to direct beneficiaries.