Files
Abstract
This document summarizes findings from the Accra Urban Food and Nutrition
Study (AUFNS) about the importance of care as an input to child nutrition and the
relative contribution of various maternal and household resources to the provision of
care. Findings from the quantitative survey (n = 556) and the in-depth observational study
(n = 22) are reviewed and complemented with insights from the participatory rapid
appraisals (PRAs) carried out at the onset of the study. Results of each phase of the
research have been reported separately; this report aims to integrate findings from all
three components. The key findings related to the five main questions addressed by this
study are summarized as follows.
! Is care an important input into child nutrition in Accra? The Accra study
provides unequivocal evidence of the critical role of childcare practices as a key input
into children’s nutritional status.
! Which care practices seem to be most crucial for child nutrition? Findings from
the observational study confirmed the suggestion from the quantitative survey that
optimal feeding practices during the first 6 months of life contribute to the prevention of
growth failure among young infants in Accra and that the benefits may linger beyond the
first year of life.
! Which maternal and household resources contribute the most to enhancing
care in Accra? Maternal education was the characteristic most strongly associated with
good childcare practices. For the majority of women, employment did not seem to be a severe constraint for childcare and nutrition in this context. However, maternal early
return to work after delivery—usually a response to economic constraints—may entail
risks for children.
! What are the program and policy responses to promote optimal childcare
practices in this urban context? Our findings support the universal consensus on the
importance of investing in girls’ education. In the short term, effective nutrition education
and behavior change strategies can simulate some of the benefits of formal education.
Support for workingwomen in the form of low-cost, community-based childcare facilities
should also be given priority, as well as policies to address poverty alleviation, income
generation, hygiene and sanitation, and quality control of street food sales.
! How do the three research approaches used for the measurement of childcare
complement each other? Each method provided unique information and also enriched
and informed interpretation of other study components. The “triangulation” of findings
also helped generate additional hypotheses that could be tested using an iterative process
of analysis. This allowed for obtaining a richer and more complete picture of the role of
care as an input into child nutrition in Accra.