Development of a growth monitoring and promotion index to improve child health in Zimbabwe

Abstract

In Zimbabwe, growth monitoring and promotion as conducted by community health workers are part of the nutritional surveillance system. This study seeks to develop a new index which will combine both caregiver behaviours, attitudes and CHW growth monitoring and promotion activities. An explanatory sequential mixed method design will be conducted in three phases. Phase one will comprise a scoping literature review. The second phase will comprise a needs analysis through quantitative data collection using two surveys of community health workers and caregivers of children under five years. Thereafter, qualitative data will be collected from caregivers of children under five years. The quantitative data will be analysed using SPSS while qualitative data will be collected and analysed using Atlas-ti. Phase three will be the development phase for the growth monitoring and promotion Index. The growth monitoring and promotion Index will be used to classify the GMP performance of districts through the DHIS2 thus strengthening the quality of growth monitoring and promotion. Recommendations on the findings and the adoption of the Index will be shared with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and key stakeholders implementing maternal, newborn and child health programmes in Zimbabwe for adoption and use in growth monitoring and promotion programming.