Using Trials of Improved Practices to Shift Nutrition and Hygiene Behaviours in Sierra Leone

SPRING/Sierra Leone conducted trials of improved practices (TIPs) with 24 households in Tonkolili District to test nutrition-sensitive WASH behaviours and selected complementary feeding behaviours for children aged 6-23 months. Intended beneficiaries were counselled on one or two household-specific, high-impact behaviours, with follow-up visits to identify barriers to and enablers of uptake. Creating handwashing stations and prioritising soap for handwashing were most tried and accepted (16/24 counselled). Prioritising consumption of colourful fruits and vegetables in complementary feeding were well received. Providing a child with a clean, enclosed play area to reduce exposure to animal faeces had low uptake (5/13 counselled); households preferred to sweep play areas and not restrict children’s movement. Recommendations that required sharing resources between households were not well accepted. Findings from the TIPs informed the development of contextualised, behaviour-change communication materials that are being piloted in-country.