PETER GLASAUER Nutrition Officer,
FAO NUTRITION PROGRAMMES SERVICE
Ann Burgess with Peter Glasauer
FAO,
Rome, 2004
126 pp. ISBN 92 5 105233 6
The Family nutrition guide is a practical guide that aims to improve the feeding and nutrition of families in developing countries.
It is primarily written for health workers, nutritionists, agricultural extensionists or other development workers who design nutrition education materials and activities and work with people at the community level. It should also be useful for mothers or other caregivers who wish to know more about family feeding, as well as others involved in training health staff and other community-level workers.
The guide is structured around 11 topics that cover basic nutrition, family food security, meal planning, food hygiene and the special feeding requirements of children, women and men, and of old, sick and malnourished people. Each topic provides a summary of up-to-date technical nutrition facts that can be used to prepare various nutrition education activities and materials: face-to-face education sessions with families and other community-level groups, nutrition education materials for print or other media (such as radio talks); or training materials for staff in different sectors who deal with family nutrition.
The nutrition facts included in each topic are complemented by communication suggestions for people working directly with families and community groups. These suggestions describe the steps required to prepare an education session, encourage participation and make the session more fun.
While the illustrations and food examples in this guide mainly reflect the situation in eastern and southern African countries, the basic information provided has a wider relevance and can be used to prepare similar nutrition education materials for developing countries worldwide. Suggestions are provided on how the guide's technical information can be adapted to meet the needs of other areas and for preparing specific country versions.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Ministry of Higher Education, Training and Employment Creation, Namibia
Windhoek, Namibia, 2004
124 pp. ISBN 99916
63 66 5
The handbook is a unique nutrition education resource that helps young people to learn about food and healthy nutrition. A total of 27 lesson plans and a nutrition board game deal with the functions of food, the importance of a healthy diet, food safety, child feeding, and growth monitoring.
The handbook uses the experiential learning approach, emphasizing both project skills and life skills and helping to make learning about healthy nutrition both fun and more effective. Newly acquired or strengthened life skills will enhance the capacity of young people to address other problems in their lives.
While this handbook is specifically tailored to suit the needs and situation of Namibia, it can serve as a useful example of nutrition education material for other countries. Although the document is designed for use in non-formal settings, for example youth groups, many of the lesson plans can also be adapted for use in formal settings, such as schools.
