Baby weighings and village folklore groups
Detweiler, C.Lindell.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 103(8): 959-961
2003
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8223 PMID: 12921101 Document Number: 556394
The integrated health program operating in a rural province of Benin, a small country in sub-Saharan Africa, is described. In this part of the world, infant mortality is around 150 per 1,000 live births and significant numbers of children are often chronically undernourished or malnourished. Carrying out monthly baby weighings, conveying health messages via village folklore groups, and promoting treated mosquito nets are some of the activities that are a vital means of mobilizing communities in rural Benin to improve the health and nutritional wellbeing of their children. This approach of integrated health care to improve nutritional status of children is a model that is applicable to other developing world settings.