(P22-001-23) Development of Innovative Strategies for Effective Implementation of Food and Nutrition Policy in Three Armed Conflict-Affected Northeastern States of Nigeria

Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify factors influencing food and nutrition policy implementation in an armed conflict setting and develop effective innovative strategies specific for implementing food and nutrition policy in an armed conflict context.

The specific objectives are to:
1. assess  health facility service availability and readiness for treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition.
2. explore health workers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the national protocol for managing acute malnutrition, the national IYCF framework, and national guidelines on micronutrient deficiencies.
3. describe common bottlenecks encountered and how they influence implementation of food and nutrition policy outcomes.
4. describe how the armed conflicts in northeast Nigeria affect the implementation of food and nutrition policy outcomes.
5. identify innovative strategies for food and nutrition policy implementation in an armed conflict setting.

Methods: The study will employ a mixed methods study design. A multi-stage sampling technique will be used to recruit about 420 health workers, 3 State Nutrition Officers (SNOs), 2 Commissioners and 2 permanent Secretaries from State Ministries of Health, Budget and Planning. The study instruments for the study include; Determinants of Implementation Behavior Questionnaire (DIBQ), Service Availability and Readiness Assessment Checklist (SARA), Bottleneck and Solution Inventory (BSI) and Qualitative guide for Focus Group and Key Informant Interview (FGD and KII). The Quantitative data will be analyzed using STATA version 14.1 and descriptive statistics, frequency distribution, etc will be generated. Content and thematic analysis will be performed on the qualitative data.

Results: It is expected that the study will identify bottlenecks encountered and how they influence implementation outcomes in an armed conflict setting; innovative strategies policy implementers use in an armed conflict setting and how the conflict affects implementation and mobilize existing and generate new knowledge to develop innovative strategies that can enhance policy implementation outcomes.

Conclusions: In conclusion, innovative and context specific policy strategies that will accelerate reduction of malnutrition in conflict settings will be developed.

Funding Sources: This study has not received funding from any source.