Start life strong in Lao PDR - Insights on Baby WASH
Stunting in children is a very prevalent problem in Lao PDR, which is why its government has set a target to reduce stunting by 25% until 2025. An approach termed ‘Baby WASH’ that includes food hygiene, clean play areas, control of animal faeces, and child handwashing, has been proposed to address the nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive issues in children under 2 years old or in their first 1000 days, respectively. The aim of our formative research was to develop behaviour change strategies based on quantitative data of the population at risk for the behaviours handwashing with soap before feeding a child, controlling and inhibiting mouthing of food by a baby, and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
The picture shows a mother feeding a baby by hand.
We developed three intervention plans:
Intervention plan for handwashing with soap before feeding a child
Intervention plan for controlling mouthing
Intervention plan for exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months
Read our Intervention Fact Sheet: Behaviour Change Interventions on Baby WASH related behaviours in Lao PDR
by Hans-Joachim Mosler and Jurgita Slekiene.
Furthermore, the Lao report was used by the World Bank to develop an animation and policy brief with the slogan Start life strong in Lao PDR: https://blogs.worldbank.org/water/baby-wash-supporting-nutrition-outcomes-water-sanitation-and-hygiene. These materials have been presented to the government and project implementation unit and the interventions are now incorporated in their new activities.
Policy brief by the World Bank and GWSP: