Role of schools in community mobilisation to improve IYCF practices in 6–24-month-old tribal children in the Banswara district, India: findings from the qualitative PANChSHEEEL study
,
David Osrin,
Sanjay Sharma,
Monica Lakhanpaul,
Logan Manikam,
Anita Saxena,
Amita Kashyap,
Atul Singhal,
Nerges Mistry,
Priti Parikh,
Lorna Benton,
Shereen Allaham,
Ramesh Mehta,
Rajesh Khanna,
Ian Warwick,
Susrita Roy,
Marie Lall,
Virendra Kumar Vijay,
Neha Santwani,
Hanimi Reddy,
Hemant Chaturvedi,
Satya Prakash Pattanaik,
Tol Singh,
Pramod Pandya,
Priyanka Dang,
Isabel-Cathérine Demel,
Marie-Carine Lall,
Ritu Chhabria,
Ritu Prakash,
Sai Lakshmi,
Neeta Karal Nair,
Sathya Jegannathan Manoharan,
Ms. Benita,
Shilpa Karvande,
SNEHA; Nayreen Daruwalla,
Anand Karve,
V M Chariar,
T. Sundararaman,
John Pelton,
Sachin Maheshwari,
Sofia Strummer,
Himanshu Parikh
Affiliations
BEST3 Trial team NIHR, Clinical Research Networks, UK
David Osrin
Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
Sanjay Sharma
Save the Children, Rajasthan State Programme Office, Jaipur, India
Monica Lakhanpaul
Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
Logan Manikam
Aceso Global Health Consultants Ltd, London, UK
Anita Saxena
Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Amita Kashyap
Atul Singhal
5Southwest Rheumatology, Dallas, United States of America
Nerges Mistry
Department of Tuberculosis Research, Foundation for Medical Research, Mumbai, India
Priti Parikh
The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, London, UK
Lorna Benton
research fellow in Planetary Health
Shereen Allaham
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCL Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, London, UK
Ramesh Mehta
president
Rajesh Khanna
National Support Office, Save The Children, Gurugram, India
Ian Warwick
Susrita Roy
Save The Children, Gurugram, India
Marie Lall
Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
Virendra Kumar Vijay
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India
Neha Santwani
Save The Children, Gurugram, India
Hanimi Reddy
Save The Children, Gurugram, India
Hemant Chaturvedi
Save the Children, Rajasthan, India
Satya Prakash Pattanaik
Save the Children, Rajasthan State Programme Office, Jaipur, India
Tol Singh
Save the Children, Rajasthan, India
Pramod Pandya
Save the Children, Rajasthan, India
Priyanka Dang
Save The Children, Gurugram, India
Isabel-Cathérine Demel
Aceso Global Health Consultants Pte Limited, Singapore
Marie-Carine Lall
Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
Objective India has been struggling with infant malnutrition for decades. There is a need to identify suitable platforms for community engagement to promote locally feasible, resource efficient Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) interventions. This study aims to explore if and how schools could represent a site for community engagement in rural India, acting as innovation hubs to foster positive change in partnership with the Angawadi centres.Design Five-phase formative study; A parallel mixed methods approach structured by a socioecological framework was used for data collection at individual, household and community levels. This paper focuses on the qualitative findings.Setting This study was undertaken in nine villages within two blocks, ‘Ghatol’ and ‘Kushalgarh’, in the Banswara district of Rajasthan, India.Participants 17 schools were identified. Interviews were conducted with local opinion leaders and representatives in the education sector, including principals, schoolteachers, block and district education officers. Across the nine study villages, information was gathered from 67 mothers, 58 paternal grandmothers using Focus Discussion Groups (FDGs) and 49 key respondents in Key Informant Interviews.Results Schools were considered an important community resource. Challenges included limited parental participation and student absenteeism; however, several drivers and opportunities were identified, which may render schools a suitable intervention delivery site. Enrolment rates were high, with schools and associated staff encouraging parental involvement and student attendance. Existing initiatives, including the mid-day meal, play opportunities and education on health and hygiene, further highlight the potential reliability of schools as a platform for community mobilisation.Conclusions Schools have been shown to be functional platforms frequently visited and trusted by community members. With teachers and children as change agents, schools could represent a suitable setting for community mobilisation in future wider scale intervention studies. Expanding the supportive environment around schools will be essential to reinforce healthy IYCF practices in the long term.
