Nutrition

Lark Health is a CDC-approved AI-powered diabetes prevention program that provides 24/7 personalized coaching via smartphone. The year-long program uses conversational AI to deliver the PreventT2 curriculum through 26 educational lessons covering weight loss, physical activity, nutrition, stress management, and sleep. Members receive cellular-connected smart scales for real-time weight tracking. The AI coach uses cognitive behavioral therapy and positive psychology strategies. Studies show 40% of participants achieve 5%+ weight loss, with significant reach to rural (24%) and underserved areas (31%) lacking in-person programs.

India's flagship nutrition awareness campaign conducted annually in September. Uses mass media, community mobilization, and interpersonal communication to promote breastfeeding, complementary feeding, anemia prevention, and hygiene behaviors among mothers, children, and adolescent girls.

A multi-country initiative to improve infant and young child feeding practices through strategic behavior change communication. Uses mass media, community-based counseling, and policy advocacy to promote exclusive breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and other countries.

A study by the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs explores a practical and cost-effective method to track adherence to micronutrient supplements among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia. This approach aims to improve maternal and child health outcomes by addressing micronutrient deficiencies and ensuring program effectiveness.

Digital Green uses locally-produced agricultural videos featuring model farmers to disseminate best practices to smallholder farmers in India, Ethiopia, and other countries. The participatory video approach, combined with AI-powered FarmerChat advisories, has reached over 8 million farmers with 50%+ adoption rates. Studies show a tenfold improvement in cost-effectiveness over traditional extension.

The Mosque-Based Health Education and Research Tools (M-HEaRT) initiative equips Muslim chaplains, community health workers, and mosque leaders to deliver research-informed health education. Studies show mosque-based campaigns achieve significant reductions in cardiovascular risk unawareness and blood pressure. Imams have successfully promoted TB screening in Bangladesh, HIV prevention in Uganda, malaria control in Tanzania, and family planning in Jordan. Peer educators and Friday sermons serve as primary delivery channels.

Farm Radio International partners with over 1,200 radio stations across 37 sub-Saharan African countries to deliver agricultural information and behavior change programming to smallholder farmers. Using interactive radio formats, SMS polling (Uliza tool), and community engagement, the program reaches 45+ million people annually, with over 50% of listeners adopting new farming practices.

Ghamai (meaning "jewel" in Pashto) is a weekly radio show produced by BBC Media Action featuring drama, special reports, and interviews with health experts. Broadcast on BBC World Service and local Afghan stations in Dari and Pashto, the program provides families with information on vaccinations, nutrition, and breastfeeding. In a country where radio is often the only information source for remote communities, especially for women with restricted mobility, Ghamai brings doctors advice directly into homes.

The Smarter Lunchrooms Movement uses choice architecture to nudge students toward healthier food choices through low-cost or no-cost environmental changes in school cafeterias. Developed by Cornell's Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs, the approach includes placing fruit in attractive bowls (increasing sales 100%+), repositioning salad bars to high-traffic areas (200-300% increase), using creative vegetable names, and making white milk the "featured" choice. Over 29,000 U.S. schools have implemented these nudges.

Afghanistans community-based Growth Monitoring and Promotion (cGMP) program addresses high malnutrition rates through Community Health Workers (CHWs). Given low literacy among CHWs and caregivers, the Ministry of Public Health developed pictorial tools for nutritional assessment and counseling. Family Health Action Groups (FHAGs) serve as platforms where female caregivers gather monthly to weigh children and discuss feeding practices. Evaluation showed participating underweight children gained 0.33 weight-for-age Z-scores per session.

The Female Mobilizer Vaccinator program deploys local Afghan women to conduct daily health education sessions for women across hundreds of locations. FMVs address topics including nutrition, hygiene, breastfeeding, and vaccination (polio, measles, tetanus). In conservative areas where women cannot interact with male health workers or leave home without a mahram, FMVs provide trusted access. Piloted in 2020 and expanded to 20 of 34 provinces, the program increased vaccination rates and improved community trust in the healthcare system.

SPRING was a flagship USAID program (2011-2018) that operationalized agriculture-nutrition linkages across seven countries. The project pioneered approaches to integrate nutrition outcomes into agricultural programming, trained community health workers in behavior change communication, and developed the influential "Ag-Nutrition Pathways" framework adopted by Feed the Future.