Taking care of children: Applying anthropology in maternal and child nutrition and health

Bringing anthropology to bear on programs and policies in nutrition and health requires the application of both theory and method. This paper describes several examples, drawing from my experiences related to infant and young child feeding and management of infectious disease in children. Part of the task is refraining the dominant biomedical and economic models to encompass the sociocultural contexts in which caregiving behaviors are embedded and elucidate their implications for the design and implementation of interventions. Another aspect is the development of tools that facilitate the use of anthropological methods in public health and nutrition. Thirdly, applying anthropological theories and methods to explicate the systems that deliver services and meaningful engagement with these systems so that the results can be used to improve nutrition and health interventions is another key focus. Finally, it is essential that we remain grounded in our anthropological roots and critically appraise and reappraise our working assumptions.