ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL INTERVENTION AT THE COMMUNITY LEVEL: CASE OF THE LEARNING, NUTRITIONAL REHABILITATION AND AWAKENING HOMES (FARNE) PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED IN GUERA, CHAD
Bechir M.*, Makhlouf H., Philippe M., Koularambaye A. and Telefot P. B.
ABSTRACT
Background: Malnutrition in Chad, like in other Sahelian countries, is a challenge for public health and development. Despite the significant efforts made by the Government and its partners, malnutrition remains to reach the emergency threshold in some areas. Objective: The study aimed to assess the effects of the nutritional intervention at the community level with the FARNE approach on nutritional status in children aged from 6 to 59 months in Guera province of Chad. Study Design: It was a duple cross-sectional study in beneficiary and non-beneficiary household with comparative evaluation using the “Here” and “Elsewhere” approach. Method: In each area of beneficiary and non-beneficiary, the household was chosen randomly with a sample of 135 household beneficiaries of the FARNE approach and 135 other non-beneficiary households. Results: The results showed that 90.4% of mothers who benefited from the approach versus 76.3% of non-beneficiary mothers gave colostrum to their children; 20.7% of beneficiary mothers against only 11.1% of non-beneficiaries practice exclusive breastfeeding; 33.06% of beneficiary children against 22.76% non-beneficiary children have an average dietary diversity. 79.3% and 82.8% of beneficiary mothers against only 35.6% and 39.3% of non-beneficiary mothers wash their hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before and after the meal. In addition, 9.8% of non-beneficiary children against 6.9% of beneficiary children were acutely malnourished, according to MUAC. Conclusion: The study showed that FARNE contributes positively to nutritional status and helps prevent chronic malnutrition in the long term among children aged from 6 to 59 months.
Keywords: malnutrition, FARNE, Community intervention, Guera, Chad.
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