Evaluation of Two Community Based Screening Strategies for Severe Acute Malnutrition in Children 6-59 Months in Mirria District, Niger (MàLÉ)

Alliance for International Medical Action

Status: Completed

Conditions: Malnutrition

Treatments: Other: Active comparator: Screening by community health workers; Other: Screening by mothers

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01863394

MUAC À L'ÉCHELLE

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this study is to determine the efficacity of a community strategy for screening children 06-59 months old for Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) conducted by their mothers' compared with a community screening strategy conducted by Community Health Workers.

Enrollment: 4,429 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 59 months old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• children aged 06-59 months at the time of the study
• children who live in a village in the health district participating in the study

Exclusion criteria

• children whose legal guardian refuses to participate in the study

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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4,429 participants in 2 patient groups

Screening by community health workers

Active Comparator group

Description:

One Community Health Worker (CHW) will be trained per village in the comparator arm. The training the CHWs receive will be identical to that delivered in the Community Management of Acute Malnutrition program run by ALIMA/BEFEN (Bien Être de la Femme et l'Enfant Niger) over the last 3 years. This involves 6 hours theoretical training and a practical session in the health centre. CHWs will screen children 06-59 months in their village once a month

Treatment:

Other: Active comparator: Screening by community health workers

Screening by mothers

Experimental group

Description:

Mothers in the intervention health district will be trained in small womens' groups in their village. Training will have a theoretical component and a practical demonstration component on children in the village During the first baseline door to door mass screening campaign, mothers will also receive individual training on conducting a Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) classification and looking for pedal oedema. they will receive a brief recap during the three monthly door-to-door mass screening campaigns Mothers will be asked to check their child's MUAC and look for pedal oedema * whenever the child does not seem to be in 'good health' to the mother * whenever the mother feels that the child is 'unwell' or 'sick' * whenever it seems to the mother that her child has lost weight * whenever the mother thinks that it is necessary to do so

Treatment:

Other: Screening by mothers