Building a rights-based approach to nutrition for women and children
Harnessing the potential of women’s groups and rights-based organizations in South Asia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22067087 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Monica Shrivastav (Population Council), Vani Sethi (0000-0001-9408-2956, corresponding author), Avishek Hazra (0000-0001-5992-189X, Population Council), Zivai Murira (0000-0003-2662-0542), Roopal Jyoti Singh (India Habitat Centre), Krishna Wagh (India Habitat Centre), Anuradha Nair, Veronica Kamanga Njikho, Sapna Desai (0000-0003-2596-9726, India Habitat Centre) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Pages | 1461998-1461998 |
| Publication date | 2025-02-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1461998 |
| PMID | 39975782 |
| OpenAlex | W4407181671 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 33 |
Women face numerous gender-based barriers that hinder their access to resources, nutritious foods, nutrition services, and maternity entitlements. Evidence shows that certain types of women’s groups can improve women’s access to resources and social capital and in some approaches also improve health and nutrition outcomes. Women’s rights-based organizations in South Asia have a longstanding tradition of collective action toward gender equality. Women’s rights-based organizations work in areas such as microfinance, livelihoods, women’s rights, health, and combating violence against women. In this perspective article, we explore how women’s groups and rights-based organizations can leverage their collective strength to advance nutrition outcomes for women and children. We identify seven pathways implemented through women’s groups toward improving nutrition outcomes. These pathways include (i) income generation, (ii) agriculture, (iii) health and nutrition behavior change communication and participatory learning and action, (iv) advocating for rights to better health and social services, (v) food access, (vi) cash transfers, and (vii) strengthening service delivery and fostering convergence with health systems. We also note that women’s groups have the potential to implement integrated interventions through combined food-systems-rights pathways. Investing in this area can support transforming nutrition policy from a service delivery model to a rights-based approach
Agriculture · Business · Collective action · Economic growth · Economics · Livelihood · Political science · Poverty · Public relations · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine
Women's groups practising participatory learning and action to improve maternal and newborn health in low-resource settings
Community interventions with women’s groups to improve women’s and children’s health in India
Health impact of self-help groups scaled-up statewide in Bihar, India
Effects of participatory learning and action with women’s groups, counselling through home visits and crèches on undernutrition among children under three years in eastern India
Multisectoral community development in Nepal has greater effects on child growth and diet than nutrition education alone
What explains gender differences in food insecurity
The power of the collective empowers women
Does Self Help Group Participation Lead to Asset Creation
Spaces for women
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |