Skip to main content

Collecting and Using Information for Nutrition

Improving the collection and use of information is a priority for SPRING. Data from a variety of sectors (agriculture, finance, education, health, etc.) play an important role in improving nutritional outcomes for women and children. To achieve our goal, we gather evidence on the best ways to fill data gaps, develop new tools and guidance, and seek consensus on best practices.

Major SPRING activities in this area include—

The information that results from these activities helps program managers, policymakers, and international organizations better understand nutrition needs, make more informed decisions, plan more effectively, and advocate for improved nutrition funding.

What and how information is communicated affects actions at all levels related to food availability, care practices, health services, and the sociocultural environment. Changes in policies, financing, and information or monitoring systems, for example, will do little good if they are not communicated from national to community to household levels. Similarly, the information that is or is not communicated with regard to the cost of agricultural inputs and food, available health services, priority nutrition practices, and prevalence of malnutrition, for example, can affect what food is grown, stored, and/or purchased, if health services are utilized, how children are fed, or which nutrition programs are funded.

News

Screenshot of the tool page
March 2017
To effectively address anemia, countries must develop a context-specific understanding of their anemia situation. SPRING developed “Understanding Anemia: Guidance for Conducting a Landscape Analysis” to provide step-by-step support for gathering and ...
Nancy Adero, SPRING Technical Advisor for Anemia & Micronutrients, presents the PBN findings in Kisoro district. She urged districts to identify means of using conditional funds to strengthen funding for nutrition. PHOTO CREDIT: Adera Asasira, SPRING
February 2016
During three dissemination events in Uganda, SPRING, USAID’s global nutrition project, presented findings from its Pathways to Better Nutrition (PBN) Study. This study, which took place from 2013 to 2015, provides a time-series view of changes in pla...
Madhukar B. Shrestha presents the results of the PBN study in Nepal
May 2016
SPRING released findings from the multi-sectoral Pathways to Better Nutrition (PBN) Case Study during a national event in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 20th, 2016. The National Planning Commission (NPC) chaired the event. There were over 60 participants ...