Introduction
Malnutrition remains a significant issue in India, with 50-60% of women anemic and 50% of children undernourished. FMCH (Foundation for Mother and Child Health) focuses on preventing the 60-70% of malnutrition that is avoidable through improved awareness and knowledge. Their mission is to empower families to make better food and health choices, especially in communities where poverty is not the issue but a lack of nutritional understanding is.
Direct Intervention Model
FMCH operates a direct intervention model in dense urban areas like Mumbai and Bangalore, where health workers can visit multiple households daily. Key components include:
- Home-Based Counseling
Trained frontline workers visit families, using FMCH’s NutriTree App—a decision-tree application—to provide personalized nutrition counseling. - Support for Anganwadi Workers
FMCH trains and assists Anganwadi workers in accurately measuring children’s height and weight during monthly anthropometry sessions. - Group Education
Programs like Pregnancy Clubs and Nutrition Courses educate mothers on maternal and child health, focusing on families with children aged 0-24 months.
While effective in urban settings, this model is resource-intensive and difficult to scale in rural areas due to high costs and logistical challenges.
Partnership with Government
To address scalability issues, FMCH partnered with the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) in districts of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, focusing on two pillars:
- Detection: Training Anganwadi workers to measure children’s height and weight accurately.
- Counseling: Providing Anganwadi workers with a lighter version of the NutriTree App, simplifying nutrition counseling for mothers.
Despite these efforts, challenges like inaccurate measurements, misaligned incentives, and overburdened Anganwadi workers led FMCH to pivot toward empowering mothers directly.
Empowering Mothers: FMCH Nutri Bot (Poshan Sakhi)
FMCH shifted its focus to mothers, who are the most invested in their children’s health. They developed a two-pronged approach:
- Detection
FMCH introduced health indicator tapes to mothers for diagnosing malnutrition. These are simple, cost-effective tools that act as proxies for accurate measurements. - Counseling
FMCH launched the Nutri Bot (Poshan Sakhi), a chatbot that provides accessible, reliable information about nutrition and child health.
Features of the Nutri Bot
- Multilingual: Available in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Kannada.
- Interactive Design: Includes quizzes, stories, and practical tips.
- Voice Support: Audio responses for open-ended questions, powered by Bhashini integration.
- Human Support: Questions outside the chatbot’s scope are addressed through a ticketing system.
- Nudges: Sends reminders for monthly anthropometry and relevant content during Nutrition Month in September.
Impact and Learnings
Key Metrics
- 9,000+ users onboarded across various locations.
- 88% retention rate during Nutrition Month, with three nudges sent to users.
- 62% completion rate for content flows.
Insights
- Motivation Matters: Highly motivated mothers engage more actively.
- Practical Tips Preferred: Users value clear, actionable advice.
- Cultural Gatekeepers: Husbands often influence mothers’ access to the bot.
- Recipe Popularity: Content focusing on local, affordable ingredients resonates most.
Stories of Change
- A mother overcame breastfeeding challenges by watching tutorial videos provided by the bot.
- Parents shifted from feeding their children junk food to using FMCH’s healthy recipes.
Why a Chatbot?
FMCH considered SMS and standalone apps but found WhatsApp the most accessible and familiar platform. Its widespread use allowed mothers to access the bot anytime, without the need for additional training or downloads.
Scaling the Nutri Bot
FMCH plans to narrow the bot’s scope to measure its impact more effectively. They aim to combine AI-driven insights with rule-based logic to address mothers’ needs more comprehensively.
Conclusion
FMCH’s Nutri Bot exemplifies how technology can empower communities to address malnutrition. By focusing on accessibility, cultural relevance, and practical advice, FMCH has created a scalable, impactful solution that directly benefits mothers and children across India.
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