P. A. Tschida, MPH, DrPH, Department of Biostatistics, University of Minnesota, School of Public Health, 2221 University Avenue, SE, Suite 200, Minneapolis, MN 55414, 612-624-8321, ptschida@umn.edu, Mzee Khatib Rajab, MA, Pemba Public Health Laboratory, P.O. Box 122, Chake Chake, Pemba, Tanzania, Ellen G. Piwoz, PhD, Academy for Educational Development, 1825 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009, and Rebecca Stoltzfus, PhD, Department of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, 120 Savage Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853.

This study tested the effectiveness of low-cost, community-based educational interventions to improve infant feeding practices in rural communities of coastal East Africa targeted to 3 to 14 month old infants. The study took place from January to October of 1999 on the Zanzibar islands of the United Republic of Tanzania. The study utilized household and community level interventions delivered to infant caregivers and key community leaders. Methods included weekly household visits by volunteers, also trained to provide tailored improvements to infant feeding and care giving. Community level interventions included: 1) meetings with mothers facilitated by trained volunteers; 2) meetings with fathers, facilitated by male Rural Health Assistants; 3) a three-day Education, Information and Communication (EIC) seminar to develop materials on proper infant feeding and infant care techniques for caregiver siblings 7-12 years of age; and 4) meetings with volunteers to discuss problems, share ideas and to ensure that continued household nutrition education visits were occurring consistently throughout the 10-month intervention period. Data collection methods included pre and post visits to each intervention and comparison community to weigh infants, measure mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), collect 24-hour dietary recall data, and administer a knowledge and attitude questionnaire to infants' mothers. Comparisons of mean pre and post knowledge test scores, revealed that the mothers from the four intervention communities had significantly improved knowledge regarding infant feeding and that they were putting that knowledge into practice. Mothers in the intervention communities scored higher at follow-up, than the mothers from the comparison communities. In addition, infants had improved dietary intakes, and improved weight-for-age Z-scores in intervention communities at follow-up.

Learning Objectives:

• To learn the extent to which infant and child malnutrition exists on Zanzibar Islands, in Tanzania, East Africa particularly in rural areas.
• To understand how an interactive, participatory methodology was employed to develop an infant feeding improvement program for the Islands.
• To obtain results of the randomized, controlled, community based trial of improved infant feeding practices specifically designed for the target populations.

Keywords: Community Participation, Infant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.