Part of Smart Food activities in Kenya

ICRISATNews June 2018

Figure: A young woman tries her hand at photography. Photo: C Wangari

Novel ways are being explored to make nutrition interventions more effective and efficient in Kenya. The ICRISAT nutrition behavior change team recently used ‘Photovoice’, a methodology to assess the impact of activities implemented in one of the counties in Kenya.

Photovoice is a qualitative research method that uses photography for social action, to raise awareness and to stimulate behavioral change. “We are trying new methods to not only increase the accuracy of monitoring diets but also to make it fun and interactive,” notes Ms Christine Wangari, Smart Food Coordinator for East and Southern Africa.

The intervention was carried out in Tharaka Nithi, as part of the Accelerated Value Chain Development Programme (AVCD). “We used photographs as a tool for data collection,” says Ms Catherine Mwema, Researcher, ICRISAT. “We generated samples from two areas – a treatment site where nutrition activities had taken place and a comparison site where no activities had taken place.”

The team worked in partnership with the Tharaka Nithi Department of Health. “With the help of Public Health Officers, we selected 30 respondents of mixed gender and ages, based on random sampling, from each area to get a more representative sample,” says Mr Cornellius Muendo, Public Health Officer, Tharaka Nithi County. “Since 2016, we have been implementing nutrition activities in this county, specifically targeting Marimanti ward, and Chiakariga and Igambangombe counties within Tharaka Nithi County. For the assessment, we compared Marimanti and Gatunga wards.”

The respondents were taken through a full-day photography training with a certified trainer, Mr John Wambugu, and were given cameras to use for their ‘homework’ which was to capture photos of all foods consumed for the next 24 hours.

See http://www.icrisat.org/using-photovoice-to-assess-impacts-of-behavior-change-nutrition-activities-in-kenya/