Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh

**Background**: Complementary feeding (CF) contributes to child growth and development, but few CF programs are delivered at scale. Alive & Thrive addressed this in Bangladesh through intensified interpersonal counseling (IPC), mass media (MM), and community mobilization (CM). **Objective:** The ob...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Menon, Purnima, Nguyen, Phuong Hong, Saha, Kuntal K., Khaled, Adiba, Sanghvi, Tina, Baker, Jean, Afsana, Kaosar, Haque, Raisul, Frongillo, Edward A., Ruel, Marie T., Rawat, Rahul
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: Elsevier 2016
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146492
_version_ 1855543691773476864
author Menon, Purnima
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Saha, Kuntal K.
Khaled, Adiba
Sanghvi, Tina
Baker, Jean
Afsana, Kaosar
Haque, Raisul
Frongillo, Edward A.
Ruel, Marie T.
Rawat, Rahul
author_browse Afsana, Kaosar
Baker, Jean
Frongillo, Edward A.
Haque, Raisul
Khaled, Adiba
Menon, Purnima
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Rawat, Rahul
Ruel, Marie T.
Saha, Kuntal K.
Sanghvi, Tina
author_facet Menon, Purnima
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Saha, Kuntal K.
Khaled, Adiba
Sanghvi, Tina
Baker, Jean
Afsana, Kaosar
Haque, Raisul
Frongillo, Edward A.
Ruel, Marie T.
Rawat, Rahul
author_sort Menon, Purnima
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description **Background**: Complementary feeding (CF) contributes to child growth and development, but few CF programs are delivered at scale. Alive & Thrive addressed this in Bangladesh through intensified interpersonal counseling (IPC), mass media (MM), and community mobilization (CM). **Objective:** The objective was to evaluate the impact of providing IPC + MM + CM (intensive) compared with standard nutrition counseling + less intensive MM + CM (nonintensive) on CF practices and anthropometric measurements. **Methods:** We used a cluster-randomized, nonblinded evaluation with cross-sectional surveys [*n* = ∼600 and 1090 children 6–23.9 mo and 24–47.9 mo/group, respectively, at baseline (2010) and *n* = ∼500 and 1100 children of the same age, respectively, at endline (2014)]. We derived difference-in-difference impact estimates (DDEs), adjusting for geographic clustering, infant age, sex, differences in baseline characteristics, and differential change in characteristics over time. **Results:** Groups were similar at baseline. CF improvements were significantly greater in the intensive than in the nonintensive group [DDEs: 16.3, 14.7, 22.0, and 24.6 percentage points (pp) for minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, minimum acceptable diet, and consumption of iron-rich foods, respectively]. In the intensive group, CF practices were high: 50.4% for minimum acceptable diet, 63.8% for minimum diet diversity, 75.1% for minimum meal frequency, and 78.5% for consumption of iron-rich foods. Timely introduction of foods improved. Significant, nondifferential stunting declines occurred in intensive (6.2 pp) and nonintensive (5.2 pp) groups in children 24–47.9 mo. **Conclusions:** The intensive program substantially improved CF practices compared with the nonintensive program. Large-scale program delivery was feasible and, with the use of multiple platforms, reached 1.7 million households. Nondifferential impacts on stunting were likely due to rapid positive secular trends in Bangladesh. Accelerating linear growth further could require accompanying interventions. This study establishes proof of concept for large-scale behavior change interventions to improve child feeding. This trial was registered at [clinicaltrials.gov](https://clinicaltrials.gov) as NCT01678716.
format Journal Article
id CGSpace146492
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2016
publishDateRange 2016
publishDateSort 2016
publisher Elsevier
publisherStr Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1464922025-04-03T21:29:33Z Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh Menon, Purnima Nguyen, Phuong Hong Saha, Kuntal K. Khaled, Adiba Sanghvi, Tina Baker, Jean Afsana, Kaosar Haque, Raisul Frongillo, Edward A. Ruel, Marie T. Rawat, Rahul stunting evaluation malnutrition child feeding children feeding child undernutrition experimental design **Background**: Complementary feeding (CF) contributes to child growth and development, but few CF programs are delivered at scale. Alive & Thrive addressed this in Bangladesh through intensified interpersonal counseling (IPC), mass media (MM), and community mobilization (CM). **Objective:** The objective was to evaluate the impact of providing IPC + MM + CM (intensive) compared with standard nutrition counseling + less intensive MM + CM (nonintensive) on CF practices and anthropometric measurements. **Methods:** We used a cluster-randomized, nonblinded evaluation with cross-sectional surveys [*n* = ∼600 and 1090 children 6–23.9 mo and 24–47.9 mo/group, respectively, at baseline (2010) and *n* = ∼500 and 1100 children of the same age, respectively, at endline (2014)]. We derived difference-in-difference impact estimates (DDEs), adjusting for geographic clustering, infant age, sex, differences in baseline characteristics, and differential change in characteristics over time. **Results:** Groups were similar at baseline. CF improvements were significantly greater in the intensive than in the nonintensive group [DDEs: 16.3, 14.7, 22.0, and 24.6 percentage points (pp) for minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, minimum acceptable diet, and consumption of iron-rich foods, respectively]. In the intensive group, CF practices were high: 50.4% for minimum acceptable diet, 63.8% for minimum diet diversity, 75.1% for minimum meal frequency, and 78.5% for consumption of iron-rich foods. Timely introduction of foods improved. Significant, nondifferential stunting declines occurred in intensive (6.2 pp) and nonintensive (5.2 pp) groups in children 24–47.9 mo. **Conclusions:** The intensive program substantially improved CF practices compared with the nonintensive program. Large-scale program delivery was feasible and, with the use of multiple platforms, reached 1.7 million households. Nondifferential impacts on stunting were likely due to rapid positive secular trends in Bangladesh. Accelerating linear growth further could require accompanying interventions. This study establishes proof of concept for large-scale behavior change interventions to improve child feeding. This trial was registered at [clinicaltrials.gov](https://clinicaltrials.gov) as NCT01678716. 2016-09-09 2024-06-21T09:07:15Z 2024-06-21T09:07:15Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146492 en Open Access Elsevier Menon, Purnima; Nguyen, Phuong Hong; Saha, Kuntal K.; Khaled, Adiba; Sanghvi, Tina; Baker, Jean; Afsana, Kaosar; Haque, Raisul; Frongillo, Edward A.; Ruel, Marie T.; and Rawat, Rahul. Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh. Journal of Nutrition 146(10): 2075 - 2084. https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.116.232314
spellingShingle stunting
evaluation
malnutrition
child feeding
children
feeding
child undernutrition
experimental design
Menon, Purnima
Nguyen, Phuong Hong
Saha, Kuntal K.
Khaled, Adiba
Sanghvi, Tina
Baker, Jean
Afsana, Kaosar
Haque, Raisul
Frongillo, Edward A.
Ruel, Marie T.
Rawat, Rahul
Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title_full Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title_fullStr Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title_full_unstemmed Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title_short Combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth: Results of a cluster-randomized program evaluation in Bangladesh
title_sort combining intensive counseling by frontline workers with a nationwide mass media campaign has large differential impacts on complementary feeding practices but not on child growth results of a cluster randomized program evaluation in bangladesh
topic stunting
evaluation
malnutrition
child feeding
children
feeding
child undernutrition
experimental design
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/146492
work_keys_str_mv AT menonpurnima combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT nguyenphuonghong combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT sahakuntalk combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT khaledadiba combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT sanghvitina combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT bakerjean combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT afsanakaosar combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT haqueraisul combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT frongilloedwarda combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT ruelmariet combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh
AT rawatrahul combiningintensivecounselingbyfrontlineworkerswithanationwidemassmediacampaignhaslargedifferentialimpactsoncomplementaryfeedingpracticesbutnotonchildgrowthresultsofaclusterrandomizedprogramevaluationinbangladesh