Vision: The Nutrition Working Group underscores the critical role of nutrition in maternal and child survival and health through dissemination of state-of-the-art information and approaches essential for quality nutrition programming.

2008 Working Group Highlights

In 2008, the Nutrition Working Group hosted two Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meetings to guide the development of a tool to improve the design of the nutrition component of Child Survival and Title II programs. The Nutrition Pathways Decision Tool has been extensively reviewed by members and partners and field-tested in Malawi with seven organizations as part of a multi-organization proposal for Title II programming. The tool is expected to be completed in 2009.

The Nutrition Working Group also hosted several technical updates over the last year on topics including: recent advances in understanding the long term consequences of improving pre-school nutrition for human capital formation and economic productivity; a review of member program experiences to date in child nutrition, with a focus on exclusive breastfeeding to improve child nutrition; and building effective collaboration for improving breastfeeding practices.

• Past highlights

Working Group Tools/Resources

• Findings and Lessons Learned: An In-Depth Assessment of Large Scale Implementation of PD/Hearth in Indonesia (2009)
• 2006 Nutrition Technical Reference Materials
• The Status of Programs and Research to Improve Complementary Feeding - Judiann McNulty
• Nutrition Resource Guide
• Positive Deviance / Hearth
• Thin on the Ground
• Nutrition Nuggets and technical listserve discussions
• Maternal Nutrition During Pregnancy and Lactation: Dietary Guide
• Meeting the Challenge to Improve Complementary Feeding
• The Integration of Vitamin A Supplementation Into Community-Directed Treatment with Ivermectin: A Practical Guide for Africa (HKI)
• AIN-C
• Zinc Deficiency

For additional resources, see Child Health + Development database.

Working Group Meetings and Reports

• PD/Hearth Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meeting Report (February 6, 2009)
• Positive Deviance/Hearth
• Nutrition Works! Workshop Report
• MOST Powerpoint: Implications Of Research Findings For Programs To Reduce Micronutrient Deficiencies
• Powerpoint: Changing Breastfeeding Behavior at Community Level
• Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC): Managing Severe Acute Malnutrition in Emergencies and Development

Working Group Toolbox

• Working Group Member List

Useful Links

• General Nutrition Information
• Global Breastfeeding
• KPC Module 2: Breastfeeding and Infant/Child Nutrition (January 2005 Update)
• Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA)
• Food Aid Management (FAM)
• LINKAGES Project
• Micronutrient Fact Sheets (International Life Sciences Institute)
• MOST: the USAID Micronutrient Project
• PROFILES
• Sharing U.S. Technology to Aid in the Improvement of Nutrition (SUSTAIN) Project
• U.N. Standing Committee on Nutrition: 5th Annual Report on the World Nutrition Situation

Photo: Yadira Pacheco/World Vision - Peru