Determinants of Nurturing Care Behaviours in Malawi: An Ethnographic Study

In Malawi, 38% of children under five are stunted, and only 36% are developmentally on track. An ethnographic study using the Reality Check Approach was conducted in four villages in Ntcheu and Balaka districts in Malawi to understand caregiving-related drivers of malnutrition and poor child development. Researchers immersed themselves in 12 rural households with a pregnant woman or a child under 2 years for 4 days and nights, and gathered information through informal conversations, participation in daily activities, observations, and group sessions. They assessed current behaviours and the factors driving these behaviours in five recommended nurturing care domains essential for a child to both survive and thrive. The study revealed that children were not receiving the nurturing care they needed.…