Global Health Action
Volume 12, Issue 1, 2019

The Healthy Baby Flipbook: piloting home-based counseling for refugee mothers to improve infant feeding and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices (Article) (Open Access)

Hashmi A.* , Carrara V.I. , Nyein P.B. , Darakamon M.C. , Charunwatthana P. , McGready R.
  • a Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand, Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
  • b Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand, Department of Medicine, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
  • c Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
  • d Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand
  • e Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • f Shoklo Malaria Research Unit, Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit, Mahidol University, Mae Sot, Thailand, Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

Abstract

Problems in growth and undernutrition manifest in early infancy, with suboptimal breastfeeding and inadequate complementary feeding remaining strong risk factors for chronic undernutrition in infants. No published studies exist on educational interventions to improve infant feeding practices among refugees or displaced persons in low and middle-income (LMIC) settings. The objective of this study was to create and pilot educational materials for home-based counseling of refugee mothers along the Thailand–Myanmar border to improve appropriate infant feeding and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors. Mothers of infants received counseling on appropriate infant feeding and WASH practices on a monthly basis for a total of six months from infant age three months until nine months. Educational materials were designed to feature a basic script for health workers and photos of locally available, appropriate foods. Of the 20 mothers participating in this pilot, infant feeding and WASH behaviors improved within 1 to 2 months of the first visit, including exclusive breastfeeding, minimum acceptable diet, and safe disposal of infant stool. This pilot demonstrates improvement in maternal infant feeding and WASH practices in a small set of refugee mothers, providing evidence for counseling measures to improve infant health in vulnerable populations. © 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Author Keywords

feeding behavior Counseling Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena breastfeeding Vulnerable populations

Index Keywords

education Infant Nutrition longitudinal study refugee Thailand human Longitudinal Studies Refugees feeding behavior Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena procedures Breast Feeding hygiene sanitation Humans psychology Infant, Newborn counseling female Infant newborn Mothers Myanmar child health adult mother Superior Sagittal Sinus Infant Health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85060197167&doi=10.1080%2f16549716.2018.1560115&partnerID=40&md5=bf7611b199730c21ed2b620c3435a2d6
DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2018.1560115
ISSN: 16549880
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English