Promoting the growth of children : what works rationale and guidance for programs

How can children, born into less-than-optimal environments, avert the mild and moderate malnutrition that underlies the majority of child mortality? It is the basic thesis of this paper that, in circumstances other than emergencies, programs designed to promote growth can have an important impact on child nutrition, health, development and survival. The vast majority of parents are deeply concerned for their children’s welfare. Despite this concern, motivating better nutrition practices and other preventive health actions has proven difficult, often because parents don’t perceive the problem or see the results of their actions. One of the few ways to make the need for and the impact of preventive actions visible to the family and those who can assist in the community or health sector is through charting monthly changes in children’s weights. Information about adequate or inadequate changes in weight can be used to reinforce positive practices, motivate changes in harmful ones, reward and sustain new behaviors, and target nutrition and health advice and services at the individual, community and program levels. The focus of this report is on how to design and implement programs that maximize the potential offered by the growth promotion package in nutrition and primary health care programs.