期刊
JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
卷 148, 期 3, 页码 445-452出版社
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxx063
关键词
linear growth; program; evaluation; effectiveness; infant; nutrition
资金
- USAID FFP
Background: Food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition (FA-MCHN) programs are widely used to address undernutrition, but little is known about their effectiveness in improving child linear growth. Objective: We assessed the impact of Burundi's Tubaramure FA-MCHN program on linear growth. The program targeted women and their children during the first 1000 d and included 1) food rations, 2) strengthening of health services and promotion of their use, and 3) behavior change communication (BCC). A second objective was to assess the differential effect when varying the timing and duration of receiving food rations. Methods: We used a 4-arm, cluster-randomized controlled study to assess program impact with the use of cluster fixed-effects double-difference models with repeated cross-sectional data (baseline and follow-up 4 y later with similar to 3550 children in each round). Treatment arms received food rations (corn-soy blend and micronutrient-fortified vegetable oil) for the first 1000 d (T24), from pregnancy through the child reaching 18 mo (T18), or from birth through the child reaching 24 mo [no food during pregnancy (TNFP)]. All treatment arms received BCC for the first 1000 d. The control arm received no food rations or BCC. Results: Stunting (height-for-age z score < 2 SDs) increased markedly from baseline to follow-up, but Tubaramure had a significant (P < 0.05) beneficial effect in the T24 [7.4 percentage points (pp); P < 0.05], T18 (5.7 pp; P < 0.05), and TNFP (4.6; P = 0.09) arms; the differences in effect across arms were not significant (P > 0.01). Secondary analyses showed that the effect was limited to children whose mother and head of household had some primary education and who lived in households with above-median assets. Conclusions: FA-MCHN programs are an effective development tool to improve child linear growth and can protect children from political and economic shocks in vulnerable countries such as Burundi. A better understanding of how to improve the nutritional status of children in the worst-off households is needed.
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