Impact Evaluation of the DFID Programme to Accelerate Improved Nutrition of the Extreme Poor in Bangladesh

Summary

This is a randomized study in three areas of Bangladesh (Chars region where CLP operates, Haor region where Shiree operates, and urban slums where UPPR operates). Treatment is assigned at the community level, where treatments are:

* Livelihoods intervention only (L only)
* Livelihoods intervention plus nutrition intervention (L+N)

In UPPR only, the study also includes a non-randomly selected comparison group (C).

Within treatment localities, targeted beneficiaries include women, adolescent girls, and children under 24 months. Benefits are received for two years.

Conditions

• Child Nutritional Status
• Household Dietary Diversity
• Maternal Nutrition Knowledge and Practices

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

CLP: Livelihoods

Capital for purchase of income generating asset, physical infrastructure (plinths, latrines, tubewells), livelihood maintenance stipend, monthly asset maintenance cost stipend, agricultural livelihood training, non-agricultural livelihood training, financial training, health and nutrition training.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

CLP: Nutrition

Counseling on breastfeeding and complementary feeding; five components micronutrients (iron 12.5 mg, folic acid 0.16 mg, zinc 5 mg, vitamin A 0.3 mg, vitamin C 30 mg) for children 7-23 months dosage of 120 sachets per year; 180 iron and folic acid tablets (60 mg iron and 400 mg folic acid) tablets to each pregnant woman after first trimester and up to 180 for each breastfeeding woman per year, as well as 104 tablets to each adolescent girl; deworming treatment for children aged 1-5 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women after first trimester; identification and referral of acute malnutrition; facilitation of government campaigns on nutrition.

BEHAVIORAL

Shiree: Livelihoods

Financial training; input support for livelihoods (cropping, livestock, poultry, fishing, bamboo working, small businesses, tailoring etc.); capacity building (mobilising Self Help Groups, facilitating community based organizations (CBOs), skills transfer); innovation support (market linkage and access to value chains); credit and savings groups; support in mobilizing communities to advocate for their needs.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Shiree: Nutrition

Counseling on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and sanitation; community discussions including adolescent girls on early and forced marriage; five components micronutrients (iron 12.5 mg, folic acid 0.16 mg, zinc 5 mg, vitamin A 0.3 mg, vitamin C 30 mg) for children aged 7-23 months; 180 iron and folic acid tablets (60 mg iron and 400 mg folic acid) tablets to each pregnant woman after first trimester and up to 180 for each breastfeeding woman per year, as well as 104 tablets to each adolescent girl; deworming treatment for children aged 1-5 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women after first trimester.

BEHAVIORAL

UPPR: Livelihoods

Monetary support for communities to improve infrastructure (drains, footpaths, latrines and water dwells, access to roads and markets); financing for apprenticeships; grants for small businesses; education grants for girls; grants for urban food production activities; financial training; establishment of savings and credit groups; support for communities in advocating for their needs; microcredit; improving access to health facilities; improving housing conditions; provision of plinths.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

UPPR: Nutrition

Counseling on breastfeeding, complementary feeding, and sanitation; community discussions including adolescent girls on early and forced marriage; five components micronutrients (iron 12.5 mg, folic acid 0.16 mg, zinc 5 mg, vitamin A 0.3 mg, vitamin C 30 mg) for children aged 7-23 months; 180 iron and folic acid tablets (60 mg iron and 400 mg folic acid) tablets to each pregnant woman after first trimester and up to 180 for each breastfeeding woman per year, as well as 104 tablets to each adolescent girl; deworming treatment for children aged 1-5 years, adolescent girls, pregnant women after first trimester.

OTHER

UPPR: Control

No interventions provided.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Department for International Development, United Kingdom

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Institute of Development Studies

  collaborator OTHER

• Chars Livelihoods Programme

  collaborator OTHER

• Shiree, Stimulating Household Improvements Resulting in Economic Empowerment

  collaborator OTHER

• Urban Partnerships for Poverty Reduction

  collaborator OTHER

• Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers

  collaborator OTHER

• International Food Policy Research Institute

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• John Hoddinott, DPhil · Cornell University

• Shalini Roy, PhD · International Food Policy Research Institute

• Naureen Karachiwalla, DPhil · International Food Policy Research Institute

• Firdousi Naher, PhD · University of Dhaka

• Nick Nisbett, PhD · Institute for Development Studies, University of Sussex

• Jean Pierre Tranchant, PhD · Institute for Development Studies, University of Sussex

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2013-07-31

Primary Completion

2016-03-31

Completion

2016-06-30

Countries

• Bangladesh

Study Locations