Final report : Sudan infant feeding project, October 1, 1988-December 31, 1989

with TA from the Nutrition Communication Project during the period between October 1988 and December 1989. The project was prematurely curtailed due to political problems in the Sudan before its objectives could be completely realized. Nevertheless, several important research activities were undertaken and completed, including summarization of data previously collected under the auspices of other A.I.D. assistance in the Sudan and an ethnographic study in three regions. These research activities show that severe regional differences exist in food availability, cultural practices, lifestyle patterns, access to communications channels, and listening habits. These differences constrain national efforts to develop nutrition communication programs. However, there are several topics on which messages could be developed to benefit the entire population. These include: maintenance and support of traditional breastfeeding practices; frequency of feeding, both at the breast and after breastfeeding has stopped; feeding of solid foods during illness, especially during diarrhea and measles; and food consumption of calories and high protein foods during pregnancy. If funding exists, further household-based research should focus on suckling patterns and identifying foods which are acceptable during illness. Other important outcomes of the project include the introduction of a new communication methodology, the training of Ministry of Health and School Gardens and Nutrition Education Division staff in ethnographic techniques, and the generation of interest in the use of data to develop messages for improved nutrition education programs. (Author abstract)