Our Approach

During the past two decades, the Academy has developed, tested, and refined a systematic yet flexible methodology to improve nutrition-related behaviors at the household and community levels. Our approach is comprehensive-encompassing advocacy, stakeholder and community-based formative research, program design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Techniques are grounded in a mix of social marketing, communication, and behavioral theory. Creating effective partnerships between the public and private sectors to promote and sustain nutritional improvement in underserved populations is a priority. The Center uses PROFILES (a participatory policy analysis process) and other evidence-based tools to engage diverse decision-makers in dialogue and data analysis that will lead to better strategies and program investments in nutrition and food security. Programs are designed to reach at-risk populations at times when nutritional problems have their greatest impact. As part of this strategy, AED promotes a package of essential actions to improve the care, feeding, and nutritional status of women and children. This approach enhances program relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability.

Promising Practices

New and continuing challenges, such as the importance of micronutrients in preventing deficiency disorders and the challenge posed by HIV transmission through breastfeeding, call for innovation and strategic alliances. Examples of AED's responses include:

• Improving the nutritional status of people living with HIV/AIDS. Client feed back, program experience, and formative research have led to programs that encourage HIV testing, address safer infant feeding practices for HIV-positive mothers, and actions that meet the nutritional needs of infected women and children-including the therapeutic use of foods for malnourished recipients of anti-retroviral therapies.
• Engaging the private sector. AED is bringing together industry, government, and NGOs in India, Tanzania and elsewhere to develop and market fortified infant and young child foods and promote new life-saving zinc products for treatment of diarrhea by low-income consumers. AED has collaborated with corporate partners such as Proctor & Gamble, Nutriset, and Unilever.