This report presents the findings from the baseline survey of the quantitative impact evaluation of the Working to Improve Nutrition in Northern Nigeria (WINNN) Programme interventions in Northern Nigeria. The household survey data collection was conducted in June 2013 and a final round of data collection is scheduled for June 2016. Both baseline and endline survey data will be used to estimate the collective impact of the WINNN Programme interventions that are focused at the level of the Local Government Area – Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF).

The baseline findings include:

• Stunting begins in the womb
• Adequate nutrition for mothers during pregnancy is essential
• Stunting rates are unacceptably high – potentially leading to low IQ, poor school achievement and low-skilled employment
• Educated mothers had children less likely to be malnourished
• IYCF interventions must reach communities as health facility access is low
• Community leaders could be an important mobiliser
• IYCF Interventions seem to hold promise for improving child nutrition
• Coordination of the scale-up and roll-out of nutrition evaluations to preserve the rigour of the impact evaluation

A summary of this report is available here.