.2 Criteria for selecting interventions to focus on in this questionnaire
In order to complete the rest of
this questionnaire, it is necessary to select a maximum of
five
government interventions that combat malnutrition
or otherwise advance child nutrition in your country. If there are exactly five or less than five interventions of this natur
e in your countr
y, there is
no need to make a selection and you should focus on all the interventions that do exist.
However, if there are more than five government interventions for child nutrition to take into consideration in your country,
you will have to select
thos
e that are most relevant and appropriate for this study.
I
t is impossible to prescribe a checklist
for the selection of these interventions in your
context.
The criteria listed below are included here as a set of guidelines to steer your research and think
ing. They contain normative phrases like
‘most critical’, ‘best geared’ and so forth.
It will be necessary for you to consult with a reference group of health experts and child health experts in
your country
to interpret these criteria
, and on that basis,
apply your own judgment in choosing the interventions to focus on.
The following criteria should be
considered
in making your decision
.
Importance
: Select those government interventions that appear
, in the light of the current child malnutrition, policy and institutional
context the
most critical or central to combating child malnutrition
in your country
.
As is explained below, to identify the most important
interventions you will need to speak to e
xperts in the area of child health, poverty and rights.
Targeting
: Select those government interventions that are best geared to reach
children who are
the most vulnerable
to malnutrition
in
your country
(henceforth called
vulnerable
children)
.
Child right
s
obligations
: Select those government interventions that can most clearly be linked back to the government’s legal obligations
to realise children’s rights
in your country
.
Traceability
: Select those government interventions that can most readily be iden
tified as distinct programs or lines of expenditure in
your
country’s
budget document
s.
Decentralisation
: Select those government interventions that are implemented (and even better, budgeted for) at levels of government
lower than the national level
in
your country