Effectiveness of Targeting Food Aid to Malnourished Children Compared to Targeting All Children Under Two Years

Summary

The objective of this study is to compare two approaches to targeting donated supplementary food to young children. The study compares the effectiveness of the widely-used curative approach where targeting is based on the child's poor nutritional status to a preventive approach which targets children in poor communities solely on the basis of age and provides supplementary food to all children aged 6-23 months. Cost-effectiveness of the two targeting approaches will also be assessed.

Conditions

• Malnutrition

Interventions

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Fortified food rations

The Fortified food rations were included in both arms, but targeted to all children 6-24 months of age in the 'preventive' arm and to malnourished children (WAZ \<-2 Z-scores) in the 'recuperative arm. Food rations included Corn-Soy Blend, lentils, oil and wheat.

BEHAVIORAL

Education and communication to improve feeding practices

The education and communication to improve infant and young child feeding was an integral part of the intervention. In the preventive arm, this intervention was targeted to pregnant and lactating mothers and mothers of children 0-24 months of age. The education was done using mother's groups In the recuperative arm, the BCC intervention was only targeted to pregnant and lactating women and mothers of malnourished children under the age of five.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Cornell University

  collaborator OTHER

• Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

  collaborator FED

• World Vision

  collaborator OTHER

• Government of Germany

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

  collaborator OTHER

• International Food Policy Research Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Marie T. Ruel, PhD · International Food Policy Research Institute

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2002-05-31

Completion

2005-09-30

Countries

• Haiti

Study Locations