Adding a Nutrition Behavior Change Communication Component to an Early Childhood Development Intervention in Malawi: A Cluster Randomized Trial

IFPRI Discussion Paper 1804 (2019)

27 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2019

See all articles by Aulo Gelli

Aulo Gelli

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Melissa Gladstone

University of Liverpool - Department of Women and Children’s Health

Aisha Twalibu

Save the Children Malawi - Nutrition Embedding Evaluation Project (NEEP)

Theresa Nnensa

Royal College of Medicine

Patricia Karol Kariger

University of California, Berkeley - School of Public Health

Harold Alderman

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

Date Written: February 7, 2019

Abstract

The Nutrition Embedded Evaluation Program Impact Evaluation (NEEP-IE) cluster randomized control trial (CRCT) aimed to assess the effectiveness of implementing an agriculture and nutritional intervention through preschools, known as community-based child care centres (CBCCs) in Malawi. This included; activities to promote nutritious food production and consumption, promotion of optimal feeding and caring practices and engagement with parents in pre-school meal planning and preparation. The NEEP-IE trial has demonstrated that CBCCs can be an effective platform to scale-up an integrated agriculture and nutrition intervention, and improve food production diversity, maternal knowledge, nutrition practices at household level and diets of pre-schoolers and their younger siblings, as well as improve linear growth in younger siblings aged 6-24m. This study presents the impact results of the NEEP-IE trial focusing on child development outcomes of pre-school children during a 12m intervention period.

Keywords: child development, impact assessment, preschool education, preschool children, behaviour changes, child care, diet, nutrition

Suggested Citation

Gelli, Aulo and Gladstone, Melissa and Twalibu, Aisha and Nnensa, Theresa and Kariger, Patricia Karol and Alderman, Harold, Adding a Nutrition Behavior Change Communication Component to an Early Childhood Development Intervention in Malawi: A Cluster Randomized Trial (February 7, 2019). IFPRI Discussion Paper 1804 (2019), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3363742

Aulo Gelli (Contact Author)

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States

Melissa Gladstone

University of Liverpool - Department of Women and Children’s Health ( email )

United Kingdom

Aisha Twalibu

Save the Children Malawi - Nutrition Embedding Evaluation Project (NEEP) ( email )

Malawi

Theresa Nnensa

Royal College of Medicine ( email )

Malawi

Patricia Karol Kariger

University of California, Berkeley - School of Public Health

50 University Hall #7360
Berkeley, CA 94720-7360
United States

Harold Alderman

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ( email )

1201 Eye St, NW,
Washington, DC 20005
United States

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