Maternal and child nutrition services through public primary health care facilities in urban Bangladesh

Alive & Thrive (A&T) is an initiative that supports the scaling up of nutrition interventions to save lives, prevent illnesses, and contribute to healthy growth and development through improved maternal nutrition, breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices. In Bangladesh, A&T developed a package of interventions for strengthening maternal, infant and young child nutrition counseling in urban areas delivered through nongovernmental organization (NGO) platforms in Dhaka. This dataset is part of formative research that was conducted to gain a better understanding of the urban context, both at facility-level and community-level, to inform the design of an urban MIYCN model to improve the delivery of MIYCN services in MNCH facilities in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. // The specific objectives of the formative research were to: (1) Gain a better understanding of the health system’s capacity for delivering MIYCN services and the approach to attracting clients through existing health facilities in public, private, and non-governmental organization (NGO) sectors; (2) identify practices, perceptions, barriers, and facilitators that influence maternal nutrition practices during pregnancy, and infant and young child nutrition practices among children 0 – 24 months of age; (3) gain a better understanding of the existing communication channels available for MIYCN information delivery for the mothers in slum and non-slum areas, and community preferences regarding these communication channels; and (4) identify opportunities for partnering with community health and nutrition groups to strengthen the continuum of care for MIYCN services. // The study outcome measures that addressed the objectives were operationalized through mixed methods and included: Quantitative • Readiness of health facilities to deliver MIYCN services, including availability of equipment, supplements, guidelines and record keeping registers; • Availability and quality of nutrition services provided to pregnant and lactating women and children 0 – 24 months of age in the health facilities; • Characteristics of healthcare providers delivering antenatal care (ANC), postnatal care (PNC), and care of well and sick children 0 – 24 months of age at different types of health facilities; • Pregnant women’s level of satisfaction with the nutrition service received; and • Mothers'/caregivers' level of satisfaction with the nutrition service received for their well and sick child visit. // Qualitative • Practices, perceptions, barriers, and facilitators that influence maternal nutrition practices during pregnancy, and infant and young child nutrition practices among children 0 – 24 months of age; • Existing communication channels available for MIYCN information delivery for the mothers in slum and non-slum areas, and community preferences regarding these communication channels; and • Opportunities for partnering with community health and nutrition groups to strengthen the continuum of care for MIYCN services. // Data are only provided for the quantitative elements of the study