Microenterprise development coupled with nutrition education can help increase caregivers' incomes and household accessibility to animal source foods

Abstract

Low income and lack of knowledge about child nutrition have been identified as key constraints to the use of Animal Source Foods (ASF) in the diets of young Ghanaian children. To improve ASF consumption among children in Ghana, the Enhancing Child Nutrition through Animal Source Food Management (ENAM) project introduced an intervention that combined women’s microenterprise development activities with nutrition education on the importance of ASF in children’s diets. The present study assessed the effects of the intervention on the participants’ enterprise performance, their contribution to key household and child-related expenditures as well as their households’ purchases of ASF. Additionally, household ASF consumption was assessed in monetary terms (measured in Ghana cedis (GH¢):1GH¢ = US$ 0.92).A structured questionnaire was used to interview 80 caregivers who participated in the ENAM project activities in four intervention communities and 80 non-participant caregivers in four control communities. Information solicited included household characteristics, profits from microenterprises and contributions to household food and non-food expenditures. Significantly more participant caregivers expanded (P=0.004) and diversified (P=0.004) their enterprises and, as a result, tended to have higher average enterprise profits (GH¢19.3 ± 2.2 vs. GH¢12.2 ± 1.9; P=0.08) and significantly higher savings (GH¢62.9 ± 2.2 vs. GH¢26.3 ± 1.9; P<0.05) than non-participant caregivers. In addition, the intervention was associated with significantly higher percentage of monetary contributions by caregivers towards children’s health expenses (P<0.05), school expenses (P<0.01) as well as expenses on clothing and footwear (P<0.01). Caregivers’ mean percentage contribution to household food expenses also tended to be higher (P<0.1) for participants (50.8 ± 3.5%) then for non-participants (41.8 ± 4.1%). Participant households also tended to spend more money (P<0.10) and consumed significantly more amounts (in monetary value) of ASF (P<0.01) than non-participant households. Being a participant in the ENAM project’s microenterprise development and nutrition education activities was associated with higher enterprise profits, savings deposits, contributions to household and children-related expenditures, and ASF consumption at the household level.

Tackling poverty through private sector microcredit programs in Ghana: Does infant and young child nutrition improve?

“…Microcredit programs for women aim to increase incomes, which may lead to an improvement in the quantity and quality of foods given to IYC. There is clear evidence to support positive financial impacts of microcredit alone (Banerjee et al 2009;Dupas & Robinson 2009;Karlan & Zinman 2010) and when combined with nutrition education (Homiah et al 2012) on business investments and outcomes, and household incomes or expenditures. Several researchers have examined the effect of microcredit on child nutrition outcomes.…”

“…Previous researchers have found links between microcredit and household food expenditure and consumption patterns. A combined microcredit and nutrition education program in Ghana found that participants who had significantly greater savings than nonparticipants (62.9 GHC  2.2 vs. 26.3 GHC  1.9; p<0.05) tended to have higher household food expenditure (50.8  3.5%; p<0.1) and had significantly greater household consumption of animal source foods (ASF) (p<0.01) (Homiah et al 2012). However, the education component of this program stressed the importance of ASF for child nutrition, which makes it difficult to determine whether the cause of the increase in ASF was due to the microcredit or education.…”