This document discusses nutrition communication. It defines nutrition communication as informing people about important nutrition issues through various channels to improve nutritional status. The objectives are to restrict misinformation and encourage healthy diets. Strategies include linking messages to interventions and changing knowledge/attitudes. Target groups include mothers and health workers. Tools include formulating messages and choosing media like posters or radio. Methods involve individual counseling, group discussions, and mass media campaigns. Messages must be accurate, affordable, and culturally sensitive. Testing ensures messages are understood before widespread distribution.

1. A Presentation
ON
Nutrition Communication

2. Communication
• A process of exchanging information & data
person to person to a target audience, or
community with definite goals and objectives.
• Also includes the response of the recipients.
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3. Nutrition Communication
The art and technique of informing,
influencing, and motivating individual,
institutional, and public audiences about
important nutritional issues.
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4. Objectives of Nutrition Communication
• To improve the nutritional status of a specific
community
• To restrict misinformation about nutrition
• To implement healthy diet
• To encourage on home production practice
• To ensure better use of food resources
• To eliminate wrong concepts & idea about
nutrition.
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5. Strategies of Nutrition Communication
• Must linked to the planned
intervention
• Follow a systematic field
information
• Aim to change the knowledge,
attitude of the beneficiary group of
population
To Whom??
What Message??
Which Media??
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6. Identification Of Target Groups
• Primary target group: Mother of the children
Segment A: illiterate mothers living in rural areas
Segment B: illiterate mothers living in urban areas
Segment C: literate mothers
• Secondary target group: Health workers, social workers,
journalist, teachers.
• Tertiary target group: Administrative and technical officers
of various sectors, father of the children.
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7. Tools of Nutrition Communication
1. Message
- Formulation of an idea or concept
- Needs to transmit to specific population
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8. Cont…
2. Media
- Channel of communication
- Which transmits message
Examples: Health centre and school lessons, Newspaper.
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9. Cont…
3. Supporting Materials
- Elements used in message transmission
Examples: Poster, Projector, white board, leaflet, wall chart etc.
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10. Media of Nutrition Communication
 Auditory aids: Microphones, tape recorders, radio.
 Visual aids: White board, flannel graph, projectors, silent films.
 Audio-visual aids: Tv, computer, slide tape combination, sound films.
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11. Limitation of Media
• Physiological: Difficulties in hearing, expression
• Psychological: Emotional disturbances ,
language or comprehension difficulties.
• Environmental: Noise, invisibility, congestion.
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12. Methods of Nutrition Communication
1. Individual approach
 Personal contact
 Home visits
 Personal letters
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13. Cont..
• Advantages
 Helps an agent in building rapport
 Facilitates to gaining about
knowledge of nutrition
 Helps in changing attitude of the
people
 Enhances effectiveness of group &
mass methods
 Facilitates getting feedback
information
• Disadvantages
 Time consuming
 Has low coverage of audience
 May develop bias towards some
persons
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14. Methods of Nutrition Communication
2. Group approach
 Lectures
 Demonstration
 Discussion methods
 Field visit
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15. Cont…
• Advantages
 Enables face-to-face contact
 More opportunities for interaction &
feedback
 Less expensive than individual method
 More effective than mass method
• Disadvantages
 May create a difficult
learning situation
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16. Methods of Nutrition Communication
3. Mass approach
 TV, Radio , Newspaper, Internet
 Printed materials, Direct mailing,
Posters,
 Exhibition, Model
 Folk methods
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17. Cont..
• Advantages
 Suitable for creating general
awareness
 Helps in transferring nutritional
knowledge
 Large number of people
communicated within a short time
 Facilitates quick communication
 Less expensive due to more
coverage
• Disadvantages
 Less intensive methods
 Little scope for personal contact
 Little opportunity for interaction
 Difficulty to get feedback
information
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18. Formulation of Nutritional Message
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19. Criteria of a Good Nutritional Message
• Epidemiogically correct
• Affordable
• Culturally acceptable
• Realistic
• Meets a felt need
• Easy to understand
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20. Testing of nutritional message
1. Focused Group Interview
Formulating group(contain at least 8-
12 people)
Conducting interview
Counting no. of respondants
 If no. of respondants is less, then further modification of message is needed.
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21. Cont…
2. Individual in-depth Interview
• Field testing on individual basis
• In-depth exploration of target
audience, attitude, belief and emotion
in response to the message
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22. Cont…
3. Questionnaire
Making open, closed or pictorial form
of questionnaire
Distributing the questionnaire to target
audience
Evaluating the response
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23. Development of Curriculum
• A two-way flow of information and resources should be emphasized in all
nutrition and communication programs.
• More and better quality training programs are recommended.
• Should effectively combine the process and approaches of social marketing,
social mobilization of communication.
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24. References
• Park Community Medicine
• ESSENTIALS OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY – SOBEN PETER
• Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2009;87:116-122. doi:
10.2471/BLT.08.051789
• Social Communication in Nutrition: A Methodology for Intervention- Michel
Andrien
• Nutrition Education for the Public: Discussion Papers of the FAO ..., Issue
62-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation
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