Publications by authors named "Naureen Karachiwalla"

Background: Adolescent nutrition has faced a policy neglect, partly owing to the gaps in dietary intake data for this age group. The Food Recognition Assistance and Nudging Insights (FRANI) is a smartphone application validated for dietary assessment and to influence users toward healthy food choices.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the feasibility (adherence, acceptability, and usability) of FRANI and its effects on food choices and diet quality in female adolescents in Vietnam.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, entailing widespread school closures as well as acute disruptions to household livelihoods, had substantial consequences for adolescent well-being in low-income countries. We present novel evidence about the prevalence of mental health challenges among adolescent students in rural Mozambique using data from an in-person survey conducted in 105 schools in 2021, immediately following the post-pandemic school reopening. In our sample, 31% of students reported low levels of well-being (though only 10% suffer from high anxiety): students enrolled in schools that used a wider variety of distance learning measures and who had more robust social networks reported lower anxiety, while students who experienced household-level disruptions linked to the pandemic reported higher anxiety and lower well-being.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Behaviour change communication (BCC) can improve infant and young child nutrition (IYCN) knowledge, practices, and health outcomes. However, few studies have examined whether the improved knowledge persists after BCC activities end. This paper assesses the effect of nutrition sensitive social protection interventions on IYCN knowledge in rural Bangladesh, both during and after intervention activities.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In many low-income countries, girls marry early and have children very soon after marriage. Although conveying infant and young child nutrition (IYCN) knowledge to adolescent girls in time is important to ensure the well-being of their children, little is known about the best ways to convey these messages. This study examines the extent of, and sources from which adolescent girls derive IYCN knowledge in order to inform the design of programmes that convey such information.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF