Contents
2Editorial

24 Wasting treatment: The effectiveness andcoverage of a simplified protocol in NigerViews
3

Bioenergy and nutrition: Reflections from aweek of learning in Bangkok

6

MAMI and the 2023 WHO recommendations:We’re talking the same talk!

7

Maternal and child nutrition: Findings frominception studies in Malawi

Field Articles
9Research Snapshots

Caregivers’ perceptions of children’s dietand development in northern Laos

12 Integrated Community Case Management‘Plus’: Treating closer to home in Somaliland
15 Optimising ‘Family MUAC’: Findings from apilot study in Mali

24 Routine antibiotics for infant growth failure:
A systematic review
25 Infant infection and nutrient deficiency
predict impaired growth at five years:
Pakistan

31 Using SMS platforms to support ‘Family
MUAC’ in Kenya

26 Dietary diversity in Bhasan Char relocation
camp, Bangladesh: Children andadolescents
27 Nutritious supplemental foods for pregnant
women from food-insecure settings

28 Identifying underweight infants andchildren using a novel “MAMI” slide chart

W

Several of these articles highlight theimportance of understanding context andkeeping/placing communities at the heart ofthe design, planning, and implementation ofnutrition interventions for them to be acceptable and appropriate. Titus et al (page 15),building upon their prototype intervention
featured in Field Exchange 681, took a ‘user
centred behavioural science’ approach toaddress barriers to ‘Family MUAC’ and to optimise its use in real-world conditions in a pilot
study in Mali. Yusuf et al (page 12) adopteda ‘service design approach’ to adapting theprovision of wasting treatment through theintegrated community case management
platform for implementation in Somaliland. Akey learning point from the latter was the programme’s ability to learn in real time, adapting
to data and operational challenges as theyarose, rather than waiting for a pre-determined review period, as is common for many
nutrition programmes and pilots.

230 Greening nutrition: Integrating environmental
screening into GAIN’s programmes

26 Alternative metrics for tracking populationlevel trends in child linear growth

21 Food-based recommendations to improve
vitamin A and iron intake in Niger

elcome to the 71st edition of
Field Exchange, featuring a typically wide range of content frompractitioners and researchers. Thisissue looks beyond the more ‘usual’ nutrition
approaches to delve into the social sciences,
the use of private sector techniques, and considering bioenergy in the context of foodsecurity. All of this serves to remind us that themultifaceted nature of (mal)nutrition requires
multisectoral and multisystem solutions.

29 Maternal depression and child feedingpractices in Malaysia: A driver of malnutrition?

31 Tools for working with small, nutritionallyat-risk infants: A mixed-methods study

27 Improved wasting recovery with COVID-19
adapted nutrition treatment in South Sudan

Dear readers,

29 Adolescent nutrition in Ethiopia: A systematic
review and meta-analysis

25 Mitochondrial homeostasis and severe
malnutrition

18 Generating demand in public sector
nutrition programmes: A way forward

Editorial

28 Kenya and Malawi: Intestinal disturbancesand mortality in complex malnutrition cases

Sauvegrain et al (page 9) adopted ananthropological perspective to understand caregivers’ perception of their children’s diet anddevelopment. This article from Laos highlights
the importance of understanding communities and ‘speaking the same language’, asnot all intentions carry the same meaning.
Additionally, local foods should be considered
not only from a nutrition security and resilienceangle but also for their cultural and symbolic
qualities. Leading on from this, the article byThurman et al (page 18) explores how we canuse private sector techniques more effectively
to engage with communities and drive demandfor healthy nutritious diets.
An article by Fracassi et al (page 3) introduces what is perhaps a less familiar topic formany of us at Field Exchange – bioenergy andnutrition. Often the linkages between the twoare seen as negative in terms of competition
for resources such as land. However, this article
highlights practices from the literature and casestudies whereby bioenergy value chains canpositively impact nutrition and food security.
The authors also illustrate the need for more collaborative food systems approaches to address
the complex and interdependent challenges ofclimate, health, and nutrition more sustainably.
Continuing the theme of resilient food systems, pilot findings from Malawi (page 7)
highlight that food insecurity, climate vulnera-32 Modifiable risk factors for child stunting in
sub-Saharan Africa
32 Initiating Infant and Young Child Feeding in
Emergencies Programming, Ukraine 2022

Report Summaries

33 Integrating climate and nutrition
33 Global Report on Food Crises 2023
34 State of school feeding worldwide 2022

bility, and poverty are key drivers of the poor
nutrition situation across two districts, where
85% of households had experienced loss ofcrops due to droughts or floods in the previous
12 months. In addition, maternal mental health,an often-overlooked area, was also found to be
associated with poor nutrition. The relationship between maternal depression and childnutrition is also explored in a study by Din et al(page 29), summarised.
On a different note, in our last issue wepublished a summary of the recently updated
World Health Organization guidelines on themanagement of acute malnutrition. Buildingon this summary, we feature a views article based on a recent blog written by Marie
McGrath (page 6) that highlights how principles and practices for continuity of quality carefor small and nutritionally at-risk infants undersix months and their mothers, described in theMAMI Care Pathway approach, are embeddedin the revised guidelines.
Finally, we feature our usual array of summaries of recently published research and reports,
covering topics ranging from climate change toschool feeding to novel treatments for severe
wasting, which we hope you find interestingand engaging. Happy reading!
Anne, Nicki, Philip and Tom
8https://www.ennonline.net/fex/68/optimisingmuacmali

Want to write for us?

We have more details on submitting an article for Field Exchange on our wesbite
https://www.ennonline.net/fex/writeforus

Not yet a Field Exchange subscriber?

Please visit our website for more details on how you can join our community
https://www.ennonline.net/subscribe/fex

FIELD EXCHANGE ISSUE 71, December 2023 www.ennonline.net/fex