Sustainability of Impacts of Cash Transfers, Food Transfers, and Behavior Change Communication in Bangladesh (TMRI)

International Food Policy Research Institute

Status: Completed

Conditions: Child Development; Poverty; Child Nutrition; Food Security; Gender Dynamics; Intimate Partner Violence

Treatments: Other: Control; Other: Cash transfer; Behavioral: Nutrition behavior Communication Change (BCC); Other: Food transfer; Other: Food and cash transfer

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03810300

12835

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study assesses the sustainability of impacts, 4 years post-program, from a pilot safety net program that was implemented from May 2012-April 2014. The intervention, called the Transfer Modality Research Initiative (TMRI), was assigned following a cluster-randomized controlled trial design in two zones of Bangladesh (north and south). Intervention arms were assigned at the village level, where arms were as follows: (1) cash transfers [north and south]; (2) cash transfers + nutrition behavior communication change (BCC) [north only]; (3) food transfers [north and south]; (4) food transfers + nutrition BCC [south only]; (4) food-cash split [north and south]; and (5) control [north and south]. Within treatment villages, women living in very poor households were targeted to receive benefits for two years.

Full description

The objective of the study is to assess, 4 years after a pilot safety net intervention ended in April 2014, the sustainability of the intervention's impacts on households, children, and women. The intervention, called the Transfer Modality Research Initiative (TMRI), was assigned following a cluster-randomized controlled trial design in two zones of Bangladesh (north and south). WFP-Bangladesh implemented the intervention, and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) conducted the impact evaluation research. Intervention arms were assigned at the village level, where arms were as follows: (1) cash transfers [north and south]; (2) cash transfers + nutrition behavior communication change (BCC) [north only]; (3) food transfers [north and south]; (4) food transfers + nutrition BCC [south only]; (5) food-cash split [north and south]; and (5) control [north and south]. Within treatment villages, women living in very poor households were targeted to receive benefits for two years, from May 2012-April 2014. For the original impact evaluation, longitudinal data on 5000 households were collected from 2012-2015 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02237144).

For the sustainability study in 2018, given available funding, the sampling frame will include 4000 households. This will include all households that were originally in the following arms: (1) cash transfers [north and south]; (2) cash transfers + nutrition BCC [north only]; (3) food transfers [north and south]; (4) food transfers + nutrition BCC [south only]; (5) control [north and south].

Enrollment: 5,000 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 15 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Former participant of Transfer Modality Research Initiative study (in cash, food, cash+BCC, food+BCC, or control arms)

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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5,000 participants in 6 patient groups

Cash transfer

Experimental group

Description:

1500 taka ($18.75) per household distributed monthly

Treatment:

Other: Cash transfer

Food transfer

Experimental group

Description:

30 kg rice, 2 kg lentils, and 2 kg micro-nutrient fortified cooking oil per household distributed monthly

Treatment:

Other: Food transfer

Food and cash transfer

Experimental group

Description:

15 kg of rice; 1 kg of lentils and 1 kg of micronutrient fortified cooking oil and 750 taka cash per household, distributed monthly

Treatment:

Other: Food and cash transfer

Cash transfer + nutrition BCC

Experimental group

Description:

1500 taka ($18.75) per household distributed monthly. Nutrition behavior change communication (weekly, one-hour group-based meetings on maternal and child nutrition, sanitation and health knowledge, attitudes and practice; twice-a-month home visits; monthly community meetings).

Treatment:

Other: Cash transfer

Behavioral: Nutrition behavior Communication Change (BCC)

Food transfer + nutrition BCC

Experimental group

Description:

30 kg rice, 2 kg lentils, and 2 kg micro-nutrient fortified cooking oil per household distributed monthly. Nutrition behavior change communication (weekly, one-hour group-based meetings on maternal and child nutrition, sanitation and health knowledge, attitudes and practice; twice-a-month home visits; monthly community meetings).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Nutrition behavior Communication Change (BCC)

Other: Food transfer

Control

Experimental group

Description:

No transfer, no behavior change communication

Treatment:

Other: Control