Fish Consumption and Dietary Diversity in Timor-Leste

WorldFish

Status: Completed

Conditions: Dietary Deficiency

Treatments: Other: Fish aggregating device; Behavioral: Social and behaviour change communication

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04729829

FSSP2_RCT1

Details and patient eligibility

About

A one-year, cluster-randomized, partially masked, controlled trial to test and compare the effects of fish aggregating devices and social and behaviour change communication on the frequency and volume of household fish consumption in upland areas of Timor-Leste.

Full description

This trial is a one-year, cluster-randomized, partially masked, controlled trial among families living in rural, inland Timor-Leste. This trial aims to test and compare the effects of two treatments, alone and in combination, on the frequency and volume of household fish consumption in upland areas as a proxy for improved dietary diversity and micronutrient intake. Treatment 1 is the installation of nearshore, moored fish aggregating devices (FADs) to improve catch rates with existing fishing gears. Treatment 2 is social and behaviour change (SBC) activities to promote fish consumption. Villages in inland communities will be randomized to receive treatment 1, treatment 2, both treatments, or neither treatment. Some households with one child under five will be recruited, and data will be collected at baseline (prior to the rollout of the treatments) and endline. Our study will determine the impact of an improved supply of fish, along with nutrition-oriented SBC activities, on the fish purchasing and consumption practices of rural, inland households. Findings from this study are urgently needed by small island developing states in order to make policy and investment decisions on how best to improve households' diets using locally available, nutrient-dense foods such as fish. Investments such as these are needed to break the cycle of malnutrition.

Enrollment: 720 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• The individual's household is situated in a village included in the study, within a 30km radius of a coastal treatment site.

Exclusion criteria

• The individual's household is not situated in a village included in the study.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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720 participants in 4 patient groups

FAD + SBC

Active Comparator group

Description:

Community will be exposed to increased availability of fish from a fish aggregating device and will receive information and messaging as part of a social and behaviour change communication about consuming fish.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social and behaviour change communication

Other: Fish aggregating device

FAD only

Active Comparator group

Description:

Community will be exposed to increased availability of fish from a fish aggregating device only

Treatment:

Other: Fish aggregating device

SBC only

Active Comparator group

Description:

Community will receive information and messaging as part of a social and behaviour change communication about consuming fish.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Social and behaviour change communication

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Control (No FAD or SBC)