FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness Group

1
FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness
Group
The Nutrition Education and Consumer Awareness
Group (AGND) is part of FAOs Nutrition and
Consumer Protection Division (AGN). It gives
technical assistance to FAO member countries to
develop policies and programmes to foster public
understanding of diets that promote health and
raise levels of nutrition. The group provides
nutrition information materials, technical
guidelines and tools for use by nutrition
professionals, trainers and educators it trains
national staff in innovative nutrition education
methods and communication strategies and it
develops and implements technical assistance
projects in collaboration with national
governments.
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Needs Analysis for Professional Training in
Nutrition Education and Communication
Effective education is an important factor in
improving nutrition and health, however,
nutrition education continues to be overlooked in
health and food security interventions.
Furthermore, it is often weak or absent in
professional training. In response
to this gap, the Nutrition Education and Consumer
Awareness Group undertook a needs analysis in
September 2010, with the support of the German
Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and
Consumer Protection. Its prime focus is the
assessment of the need for professional training
in NEAC in Africa, as a preliminary to developing
a learning module with the possibility of an
on-line option. "Nutrition Education and
Communication" here means learning where and how
to "do" nutrition education.
It deals with methodologies and approaches in all
forms of promoting healthy eating behaviour
change communication, health promotion, community
counselling, and with all workplaces,
communities, health services and schools.The
target audience includes university students and
in-service professionals studying or working in
agriculture, horticulture, medicine, health
promotion, education or community work as well as
in nutrition itself. After an intensive review of
the literature, training and nutrition education
training available internationally and especially
in Africa, seven countries (Malawi, Ethiopia,
Nigeria, Botswana, Egypt, Tanzania, Ghana) were
selected for the country case studies to explore
the state of NEAC in training, interventions,
policies and programmes. The final report will be
available in June 2011.
Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations for a world without
hunger FAO Nutrition Education and Consumer
Awareness Group Ellen Muehlhoff Senior
Nutrition Officer Tel. [phone] E-mail
nutrition-education_at_fao.org www.fao.org/ag/humann
utrition/nutritioneducation www.nutritionlearning.
net