Improving dietary diversity and food security among low-income families during financial crisis using cash transfers and mHealth: experience from two selected districts in Sri Lanka.

Background: The economic crisis in Sri Lanka worsened food insecurity, with millions facing moderate-to-severe food shortages. This study evaluates the effectiveness of cash transfers combined with mobile health education in enhancing dietary diversity and food security among Sri Lankan households during the crisis.

Methods: This quasi-experimental single-group pre-post study involved 1040 eligible individuals selected through stratified random sampling from eligible households of Samurdhi beneficiaries and smallholder farmers.

Strengthening social capital in the Sri Lankan population: A qualitative exploration of factors driving the mothers' support groups initiative during economic crisis.

Background: Social capital is a concept that has been identified to improve health outcomes in many populations. Due to COVID-19 and many other factors, Sri Lanka faced a massive economic crisis that affected the nutrition of communities. Many community engagement initiatives have begun to promote the country's nutrition during the worst-hit years.

Empowering Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Mothers' Support Groups: Evidence From a Community Engagement Initiative in Sri Lanka.

Community empowerment has previously been used to mitigate the effects of health emergencies, such as outbreaks of Ebola virus disease and Zika virus. In Sri Lanka, mothers' support groups (MSGs) aim to promote community health, well-being, and nutrition practices through community engagement. With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, MSGs were mobilized by the Health Promotion Bureau in response to the pandemic.

Mobile Phone-Based Nutrition Education Targeting Pregnant and Nursing Mothers in Sri Lanka.

Introduction: A woman's nutrition during pregnancy and nursing affects the mother and the growing child. Similarly, the first two years of a child's life are critical to their growth and development and are facilitated by optimum nutrition. Women's nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices influence household food and nutrition security.

Revisiting health promotion settings: An innovative model from Sri Lanka to integrate healthy settings using mHealth.

The health promotion settings approach has been recognised as an effective method of health promotion in the recent era, and mobile health (mHealth) is a highly evolving field in the health sector. The health promotion settings are shifting the focus away from the individuals and moving towards a more holistic model of health promotion. We identified five settings in Sri Lanka to promote a mHealth model, including villages, schools, preschools, workplaces, and hospitals.