Desk-review: Determinants of undernutrition and existing m-Health services in Tanzania

Abstract

This desk-based review forms part of the external impact evaluation of m-Nutrition in Tanzania. The evaluation is being conducted by a consortium of researchers from Gamos, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). M-Nutrition is a global initiative supported by DFID, organised by GSMA, and implemented by in-country mobile network operators (MNOs) to use mobile technology to improve the nutritional status of children and their mothers. In Tanzania m-Nutrition is added to the existing m-Health platform ‘Healthy Pregnancy, Healthy Baby’ (HPHB), an SMS programme run by Wazazi Nipendeni, with the aim of improving women’s dietary intake, infant and young child feeding (IYCF) and child anthropometry. Objectives of the desk reviewIn line with the primary objectives of the impact evaluation (i.e. to assess the impact of m-nutrition on child under nutrition, IYCF and female dietary diversity), the review sets out to identify, review and summarise existing literature on: a) Determinants of undernutrition in Tanzania (with a specific focus on determinants of women’s dietary diversity and IYCF); and b) The use of mobile phone technology for health in Tanzania (with a specific focus on experiences, lessons learnt and impact of existing m-Health and m-Nutrition interventions).