2.1. Development of the intervention
The research team designed a nutrition education intervention based on identified needs of women in Lesotho. An in-depth literature review was conducted to identify knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and practices that promote or hinder desirable nutrition actions in resource-limited settings. The South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (SAFBDG) and selected theories of health behavior—in this case, self-efficacy and locus of control—were used as a framework for the intervention. Although it is acknowledged that environmental mediators and barriers play an important role in health behaviors (social determinants of health), the current intervention was intended to address person-related barriers and mediators that could be addressed within the resource-limited environment that the women live. Based on this, culturally appropriate intervention goals and content were developed to respond to the identified needs by creating awareness, cultivating self-efficacy and internal locus of control, and providing information to increase knowledge.The intervention was compiled in accordance with health psychology and health promotion guidelines of theories of health behavior and had the following characteristics: It was systematically designed as it followed steps and sequence and used strategies that included questioning and brainstorming (