Feeding Decisions in Multigenerational Households: A Social Identity Framework for Gatekeeper-Inclusive Infant and Young Child Feeding Programming in Oyo State, Nigeria.

In multigenerational Yoruba families in Oyo State, Nigeria, after attending primary healthcare nutrition education sessions, mothers return to households where other family members make decisions on how children are fed. In the first weeks of an infant’s life, senior female relatives introduce water and local herbal infusions based on established cultural beliefs and household authority structure. Fathers, as household heads and providers, are offered preferential portions of food. This determines how scarce protein is distributed among all family members, including young children. Even though mothers are knowledgeable about the recommended infant and young child feeding practices, they lack the authority to implement them. Nigeria’s exclusive breastfeeding rate remains at 29%, and early initiation has decreased from 42% in 2018 to 36% in 2023. These suggest there may be a design issue, rather than a lack of knowledge among mothers. Many infant and young child feeding programmes have focused on mothers alone, while those who actually hold feeding authority, grandmothers and fathers, have been left out of the programmes. Using the Social Identity Theory, and a review of literature from Nigeria and other low- and middle- income countries, this perspective proposes a three-pillar household-centred framework. Through community gatherings, the Elder Champion Model engages grandmothers and reframes their existing authority as a protective resource during the first 1000 days. The Provider Pride Reframe targets fathers through male peer group meetings. It positions their investment in their child's growth as the true measure of a successful provider and head of household. Peer Mother Circles create community-based peer support groups to maintain long-term behaviour change. These three pillars address household feeding behaviours by targeting the social identity mechanisms that drive it. A formative evaluation in three to five Oyo State communities is proposed as the immediate next step.