Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda

Understanding how countries improve children’s nutrition can inform policies and contribute to further improvements. We examined the relationship between improvements in nutrition in Rwanda (1992–2017) and political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition. We reviewed nutrition-relevant Rw...

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Main Authors: Iruhiriye, Elyse, Olney, Deanna K., Frongillo, Edward A., Niyongira, Emmanuel, Nanama, Simeon, Rwibasira, Eugene, Mbonyi, Paul, Blake, Christine E.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141413
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author Iruhiriye, Elyse
Olney, Deanna K.
Frongillo, Edward A.
Niyongira, Emmanuel
Nanama, Simeon
Rwibasira, Eugene
Mbonyi, Paul
Blake, Christine E.
author_browse Blake, Christine E.
Frongillo, Edward A.
Iruhiriye, Elyse
Mbonyi, Paul
Nanama, Simeon
Niyongira, Emmanuel
Olney, Deanna K.
Rwibasira, Eugene
author_facet Iruhiriye, Elyse
Olney, Deanna K.
Frongillo, Edward A.
Niyongira, Emmanuel
Nanama, Simeon
Rwibasira, Eugene
Mbonyi, Paul
Blake, Christine E.
author_sort Iruhiriye, Elyse
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Understanding how countries improve children’s nutrition can inform policies and contribute to further improvements. We examined the relationship between improvements in nutrition in Rwanda (1992–2017) and political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition. We reviewed nutrition-relevant Rwandan policies and programs (2000–2018) and conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with national (n = 32), mid-level (n = 38), and community (n = 20) nutrition stakeholders and 40 community-level focus group discussions (FGDs). FGDs and sub-national interviews were conducted in ten purposefully selected districts, five each in which stunting decreased (reduced) and increased or stagnated (non-reduced) between the 2010 and 2014/15 Rwanda Demographic and Health Surveys. Analysis consisted of thematic analysis and the assessment of events, policy developments, and strategies that influenced nutrition in Rwanda, including operationalization of political commitment and policy coherence for nutrition. Political and institutional commitment to nutrition increased in Rwanda as evidenced by the adoption of a multisectoral nutrition policy that was reinforced with national and subnational horizontal coordination platforms. These platforms strengthened multisectoral strategies to address nutrition and supported operational and institutional commitment. The role of mid-level actors in nutrition governance increased as responsibilities for planning, implementing, and monitoring nutrition programs were increasingly delegated to sub-national administrative levels. Variations in policy implementation existed between reduced and non-reduced districts. Despite improvements, challenges remained in coordination, financial commitment, and capacity to address, monitor, and evaluate nutrition. Political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition at the national level are important for improving nutrition, and when reinforced institutionally, can be translated to sub-national levels where implementation occurs.
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spelling CGSpace1414132025-10-26T13:02:31Z Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda Iruhiriye, Elyse Olney, Deanna K. Frongillo, Edward A. Niyongira, Emmanuel Nanama, Simeon Rwibasira, Eugene Mbonyi, Paul Blake, Christine E. child nutrition policies health child health malnutrition nutrition children decision making Understanding how countries improve children’s nutrition can inform policies and contribute to further improvements. We examined the relationship between improvements in nutrition in Rwanda (1992–2017) and political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition. We reviewed nutrition-relevant Rwandan policies and programs (2000–2018) and conducted 90 semi-structured interviews with national (n = 32), mid-level (n = 38), and community (n = 20) nutrition stakeholders and 40 community-level focus group discussions (FGDs). FGDs and sub-national interviews were conducted in ten purposefully selected districts, five each in which stunting decreased (reduced) and increased or stagnated (non-reduced) between the 2010 and 2014/15 Rwanda Demographic and Health Surveys. Analysis consisted of thematic analysis and the assessment of events, policy developments, and strategies that influenced nutrition in Rwanda, including operationalization of political commitment and policy coherence for nutrition. Political and institutional commitment to nutrition increased in Rwanda as evidenced by the adoption of a multisectoral nutrition policy that was reinforced with national and subnational horizontal coordination platforms. These platforms strengthened multisectoral strategies to address nutrition and supported operational and institutional commitment. The role of mid-level actors in nutrition governance increased as responsibilities for planning, implementing, and monitoring nutrition programs were increasingly delegated to sub-national administrative levels. Variations in policy implementation existed between reduced and non-reduced districts. Despite improvements, challenges remained in coordination, financial commitment, and capacity to address, monitor, and evaluate nutrition. Political commitment to- and policy coherence in- nutrition at the national level are important for improving nutrition, and when reinforced institutionally, can be translated to sub-national levels where implementation occurs. 2022-08 2024-04-12T13:37:52Z 2024-04-12T13:37:52Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141413 en Open Access Springer Iruhiriye, Elyse; Olney, Deanna K.; Frongillo, Edward A.; Niyongira, Emmanuel; Nanama, Simeon; Rwibasira, Eugene; Mbonyi, Paul; and Blake, Christine E. 2022. Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda. Food Security 14:977-993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-022-01271-2
spellingShingle child nutrition
policies
health
child health
malnutrition
nutrition
children
decision making
Iruhiriye, Elyse
Olney, Deanna K.
Frongillo, Edward A.
Niyongira, Emmanuel
Nanama, Simeon
Rwibasira, Eugene
Mbonyi, Paul
Blake, Christine E.
Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title_full Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title_fullStr Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title_full_unstemmed Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title_short Translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub-national levels in Rwanda
title_sort translation of policy for reducing undernutrition from national to sub national levels in rwanda
topic child nutrition
policies
health
child health
malnutrition
nutrition
children
decision making
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/141413
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