Effectiveness of the communication program on compliance in a weekly multimicronutrient supplementation program in Chiclayo, Peru.
BACKGROUND
Compliance with daily micronutrient supplementation is usually poor and the question arises whether compliance with a weekly regimen would be better.


OBJECTIVE
The inputs (messages and channels), output (increase of knowledge), and outcome (behavior changes) ofa communication campaign in a micronutrient supplementation program for women and adolescent girls 12 through 44 years of age and children under 5 years of age (primary audience) were analyzed.


METHODS
The communication program addressed not only the primary, but also the secondary (facilitators) and tertiary audiences. Formative research and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the communication campaign.


RESULTS
Nearly all women and adolescent girls (89%) and children (91%) took at least 75% of the supplements over the 3-month period. The incidence rates of reported negative side effects of supplementation in children and in women and adolescent girls were less than 10%. Knowledge of micronutrient nutrition among facilitators of all ages and education levels increased significantly (p <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
. A thoroughly planned and implemented nutrition communication program can secure high compliance of the beneficiaries of micronutrient supplementation programs. The necessary supplies should be available at least 3 months before program implementation. With an adequate communication program, supplementation programs can be used to foster food-based approaches for the target audience.
Gross
Ursula
U
Agencia Internacional de Seguridad Alimentaria (AISA), Lima, Peru. ulragross@aol.com
Diaz
Marita Mamani
MM
Valle
Claudia
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000172:deficiency; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010568:Peru; D015397:Program Evaluation; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018977:Micronutrients