Meenakshi Fernandes1, Rae Galloway2, Aulo Gelli3,4, Daniel Mumuni3,5, Salha Hamdani3, Josephine Kiamba3, Kate Quarshie6, Rita Bhatia7, Elisabetta Aurino3, Francis Peel3, Lesley Drake3. 1. Partnership for Child Development (PCD), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK meenaf@gmail.com. 2. PATH, Washington, DC, USA. 3. Partnership for Child Development (PCD), School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK. 4. International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA. 5. Global Child Nutrition Forum, Seattle, Washington, DC, USA. 6. Ghana Health Service, Accra, Ghana. 7. Independent public health nutrition expert.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Interventions that enhance linkages between healthy diets and local agriculture can promote sustainable food systems. Home-grown school feeding programs present a promising entry point for such interventions, through the delivery of nutritious menus and meals. OBJECTIVE: To describe the adaptation of the School Meals Planner Package to the programmatic and environmental reality in Ghana during the 2014 to 2015 school year. METHODS: Guided by a conceptual framework highlighting key considerations and trade-offs in menu design, an open-source software was developed that could be easily understood by program implementers. Readily available containers from markets were calibrated into "handy measures" to support the provision of adequate quantities of food indicated by menus. Schools and communities were sensitized to the benefits of locally sourced, nutrient-rich diets. A behavior change communication campaign including posters and songs promoting healthy diets was designed and disseminated in schools and communities. RESULTS: The School Meals Planner Package was introduced in 42 districts in Ghana, reaching more than 320 000 children. Monitoring reports and feedback on its use were positive, demonstrating how the tool can be used by planners and implementers alike to deliver nutritious, locally-sourced meals to schoolchildren. The value of the tool has been recognized at the highest levels by Ghana's government who have adopted it as official policy. CONCLUSIONS: The School Meals Planner Package supported the design of nutritious, locally sourced menus for the school feeding program in Ghana. The tool can be similarly adapted for other countries to meet context-specific needs.
BACKGROUND: Interventions that enhance linkages between healthy diets and local agriculture can promote sustainable food systems. Home-grown school feeding programs present a promising entry point for such interventions, through the delivery of nutritious menus and meals. OBJECTIVE: To describe the adaptation of the School Meals Planner Package to the programmatic and environmental reality in Ghana during the 2014 to 2015 school year. METHODS: Guided by a conceptual framework highlighting key considerations and trade-offs in menu design, an open-source software was developed that could be easily understood by program implementers. Readily available containers from markets were calibrated into "handy measures" to support the provision of adequate quantities of food indicated by menus. Schools and communities were sensitized to the benefits of locally sourced, nutrient-rich diets. A behavior change communication campaign including posters and songs promoting healthy diets was designed and disseminated in schools and communities. RESULTS: The School Meals Planner Package was introduced in 42 districts in Ghana, reaching more than 320 000 children. Monitoring reports and feedback on its use were positive, demonstrating how the tool can be used by planners and implementers alike to deliver nutritious, locally-sourced meals to schoolchildren. The value of the tool has been recognized at the highest levels by Ghana's government who have adopted it as official policy. CONCLUSIONS: The School Meals Planner Package supported the design of nutritious, locally sourced menus for the school feeding program in Ghana. The tool can be similarly adapted for other countries to meet context-specific needs.
Authors: Ayala Wineman; Moses C Ekwueme; Liliane Bigayimpunzi; Alice Martin-Daihirou; Eth Ludmilla de Gois V N Rodrigues; Priscilia Etuge; Yale Warner; Heidi Kessler; Arlene Mitchell Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2022-05-26
Authors: Stéphane Verguet; Paulina Limasalle; Averi Chakrabarti; Arif Husain; Carmen Burbano; Lesley Drake; Donald A P Bundy Journal: Front Public Health Date: 2020-12-03
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