Abstract
The gap that exists between research and the dissemination and implementation of research findings has been well established. Food fortification, one of the most cost-effective means of addressing micronutrient malnutrition, is no exception. With decades of implementation experience, there is need to strengthen mechanisms that effectively broadcast proven strategies to promote the successful implementation of fortification programs in changing, challenging, and dynamic environments. This requires clear channels of communication, well-defined in-country leadership, and a streamlined and focused approach that can be adapted to country-specific contexts. Based on experience designing and implementing fortification programs throughout Africa and a broad understanding of past successes and failures, a model is proposed that articulates often over-looked program elements critical to design and implementation.
Highlights
There is a wealth of literature on the “knowing-doing gap” [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], or the gap that exists between research, both in medicine and in public health, and the dissemination and implementation of research findings [1]
It is due to the challenge of effectively broadcasting proven strategies in clear and concise messages or frameworks that allow for scaling-up in changing, challenging, and dynamic environments [8]
This paper seeks to add to the already existing literature on how to implement national food fortification programs in a way that addresses the “knowing-doing” gap by offering a streamlined model that facilitates moving from evidence to application
Summary
There is a wealth of literature on the “knowing-doing gap” [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], or the gap that exists between research, both in medicine and in public health, and the dissemination and implementation of research findings [1] In many cases, this lack of uptake is due to the fact that an intervention is developed without full consideration to the context and setting in which it will be implemented, rendering it of little use [7]. Based on Project Healthy Children’s (PHC) experience assisting governments in the design and implementation of national food fortification programs in Rwanda and Malawi, in this paper we 1) describe how nationwide, mandatory food fortification programs, often missing from national agendas, are distinct in how they address the problem of malnutrition; and 2) document four core, arguably intangible and often overlooked, principles needed to solidify engagement, including a streamlined data collection framework that unravels the complexity of fortification as an intervention in resource-constrained environments. PHC has completed a program in Honduras and is currently operating programs in Rwanda, Malawi, Burundi, Liberia, and a small-scale fortification program in Nepal
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
