Sixteen million children die annually from causes which are largely preventable. Many of these deaths stem from malnutrition and diarrheal disease. This article presents a model of nutritional health and describes activities of the HEALTHCOM project related to nutritional health promotion and diarrheal disease control in developing countries. Specifically, HEALTHCOM includes a unique combination of communication and behavioral techniques for promoting health. One HEALTHCOM project took place in The Gambia where mass media and behavioral incentives proved a powerful combination in increasing mothers' knowledge of oral rehydration.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
MorleyD., Paediatric Priorities in the Developing World, Butterworth, London, 1973.
2.
UNICEF, The State of the World's Children, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1985.
3.
SnyderJ. D.YunusM. D.WashedM. A., and ChakrabortyJ., Home Administered Oral Therapy for Diarrhea: A Laboratory Study of Safety and Efficacy, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 76: 3, pp. 329–333, 1982.
4.
PierceN. F. and HirschhornN., Oral-Fluid—A Simple Weapon Against Dehydration in Diarrhea, World Health Organization Chronicles, 31, pp. 87–93, 1977.
5.
ElderJ., Applications of Behavior Modification to Health Promotion in the Developing World, Social Science and Medicine, 24: 4, pp. 335–349, 1987.
6.
GuthrieG.GuthrieH.FernandezT., and EstreraN., Cultural Influences and Reinforcement Strategies, Behavior Therapy, 13, pp. 624–637, 1982.
7.
ElderJ. and SalgadoR., The Well-baby Lottery: Motivational Procedures for Increasing Attendance at Maternal and Child Health Clinics, International Journal of Health Services, 18: 1, pp. 165–171, 1988.
8.
ContehS.McRobbieI., and TomkinsA., A Comparison of Bottle Tops, Teaspoons and WHO Glucose-Electrolyte Packets for Home Made Oral Rehydration Solutions in The Gambia, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 76: 6, pp. 783–785, 1982.
9.
Academy for Educational Development, HEALTHCOM Field Notes, Washington, D.C., 1986.
