An assessment of the role of Interpersonal Communication Participants in child nutrition promotion in Kenya.

Abstract

Child malnutrition is a global health crisis whose origin can be attributed to the culture and level of interaction between interpersonal communication participants. In Kenya as in many African countries whose communities tend to be patriarchal, women and children get the raw end of the deal when it comes to food distribution; feeding on smaller food portions and less nutritious foods thereby contributing to child malnutrition and maternal malnutrition which directly contributes to child malnutrition. Behavior change is not an automatic process and therefore interpersonal communication participants have to put in time in building a relationship with each other so as to develop respect and trust. It is only through increased interaction, that the cultural walls that anchor child malnutrition come down.