An assessment of vaccine wastage in the Solomon Islands.

Calculating vaccine wastage rates supports vaccine forecasting and prevents stock outs/over-stock at central and immunisation delivery facilities. Ensuring there are sufficient vaccines on the several small islands of The Solomon Island while minimising waste is a challenge. Twenty-two health facilities were selected randomly from six purposefully identified provinces in the Solomon Islands and across the different levels of the health service.

Determinants of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition during the 1,000-day window of opportunity in Solomon Islands: A focused ethnographic study.

Introduction: This focused ethnographic study used qualitative, ethnographic, and participatory methods to explore determinants of maternal, infant, and young child nutrition (MIYCN) during the first 1,000 days of life as part of efforts to address the double burden of malnutrition in Solomon Islands.

Methods: An iterative study design was used to first explore and then confirm findings related to food and nutrition security and social and behavioral determinants of MIYCN in urban and rural settings. The first phase included in-depth interviews, household observations, free lists, and seasonal food availability calendar workshops while the second phase included focus group discussions, pile sorts, participatory community workshops, and repeated household observations.

Action-oriented prospective policy analysis to inform the adoption of a fiscal policy to reduce diet-related disease in the Solomon Islands.

Fiscal tools are recommended as a part of a comprehensive approach to diet-related disease prevention, however, widespread adoption has been hampered by political and economic resistance. The aim of this study was to support an advocacy coalition in the Solomon Islands with evidence-based consideration of the development and implementation of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), sensitive to local contextual factors and constraints. In 2017-19, we conducted a prospective policy analysis, including document analysis and qualitative interviews with key stakeholders to elicit policy-relevant data, a quantitative analysis to frame the policy problem and examine appropriate implementation mechanisms, and economic modelling to outline the potential benefits associated with different proposed policy solutions.

Potential Dietary Contributions From Rice and Wheat Flour Fortification in the Solomon Islands: Results From the 2012-2013 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

Background: Solomon Islands (SI) mandated wheat flour fortification in 2010. Rice is a key staple food in SI, and its fortification may provide an opportunity to deliver additional micronutrients to the population.

Objective: To determine whether fortified rice (proposed) and fortified wheat flour potentially benefit women of reproductive age (WRA).