Improving Infant Nutrition in Southern Ethiopia

Emory University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Nutrition Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Healthy Baby Toolkit; Behavioral: Standart of care; Behavioral: Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) agriculture promotion and nutrition education on vitamin A intake

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03423472

IRB00099964

Details and patient eligibility

About

This cluster randomized controlled trial will test the effect of the promotion of vitamin A-rich orange flesh sweet potato (OFSP) production and nutrition education on vitamin A and energy intake, including any added value of the Healthy Baby Toolkit.

Full description

Child stunting and vitamin A deficiency are persistent public health problems in Ethiopia.

Quality Diets for Better Health (QDBH) is a European Union-funded project led by the International Potato Center (CIP), in partnership with People in Need (PIN), Emory University and with support of governmental organizations and local universities. The 54 month-project strives to improve diet quality, primarily of women and young children, through the promotion of vitamin A-rich orange flesh sweetpotato (OFSP) production and nutrition education in 41 kebeles (communities) in SNNPR, reaching an estimated 15000 households. In addition, households in a subset of communities will receive a Healthy Baby Toolkit, consisting of a marked bowl, slotted spoon, and illustrated counseling card. The Healthy Baby Toolkit is designed to promote optimal complementary feeding practices of infants and young children 6 to 23 months, namely meal volume, meal frequency, and meal thickness.

As part of this project, Emory University will conduct a longitudinal, cluster randomized controlled trial in 20 kebeles to test the effect of the project on vitamin A and energy intake, including any added value of the Healthy Baby Toolkit.

Enrollment: 605 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Participation in a Healthy Living Club (only a criteria for those in partial or full intervention arms)
2. Infant aged birth to 5 months
3. Primary caregiver and head of household (if different from primary caregiver) available and provides consent for survey

Exclusion criteria

1. Serious health problem (for example, HIV/AIDS or congenital defect)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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605 participants in 3 patient groups

Full intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Healthy Baby Toolkit (HBT) in addition to Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) agriculture promotion and education on family nutrition, with special emphasis on women and children \< 2y; especially diet diversity and vitamin A intake

Treatment:

Behavioral: Healthy Baby Toolkit

Behavioral: Standart of care

Behavioral: Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) agriculture promotion and nutrition education on vitamin A intake

Partial intervention

Active Comparator group

Description:

Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) agriculture promotion and education on family nutrition, with special emphasis on women and children \< 2y; especially diet diversity and vitamin A intake

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standart of care

Behavioral: Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) agriculture promotion and nutrition education on vitamin A intake

Control

Other group

Description:

Government standard of care for nutrition education through the Health Development Army

Treatment:

Behavioral: Standart of care