Nutrition Intervention to Address Anemia Among Adolescent Girls in Liberia

Boston Children's Hospital

Status: Withdrawn

Conditions: Adolescent Development; Nutritional Anemia; Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia, Dietary; Iron Deficiency Anemia Treatment; Food Habits; Nutritional Deficiency; Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation; Other: Standard nutrition services; Drug: Mebendazole Pill; Behavioral: Targeted nutrition education

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05073562

P00036604

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of weekly iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation and one-time deworming treatment at the community level in improving hemoglobin levels among adolescent girls in Liberia, West Africa, and to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a targeted nutrition education program in improving nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices in the same population.

Sex: Female

Ages: 10 to 19 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Adolescent girl aged 10 - 19 years at the time of enrollment
• Lives within the selected study communities in Montserrado or Margibi counties
• Caregiver/adolescent consents to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• Currently pregnant
• Active malaria infection as defined by positive rapid diagnostic test (RDT)
• Severe acute malnutrition at the time of enrollment
• Known malignancy
• Known sickle cell disease

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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0 participants in 2 patient groups

Nutrition+ Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

This group will receive a structured nutrition education package provided by Community Health Assistants (CHAs) based on a handbook on nutrition education developed by UNICEF with collaboration from the Liberia Ministry of Health. The structured nutrition education package will focus on four key areas: causes and prevention of anemia, healthy eating and food choices, hand washing, and physical exercise. Participants in the intervention group will also receive IFA supplementation on a weekly basis for the duration of the study, and a one-time oral deworming treatment (mebendazole), which will be administered once at the beginning of the study.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Targeted nutrition education

Dietary Supplement: Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation

Drug: Mebendazole Pill

Control group - standard services only

Active Comparator group

Description:

This group will receive only the current package of basic nutrition services provided at the health facility and at community level by health workers and CHAs, respectively.

Treatment:

Other: Standard nutrition services