A Quasi-experimental Evaluation of the Malezi Program in Tanzania

Summary

The quality of caregiving and the parent-child relationship is critical for early child development (ECD) and has been shown to be modifiable. This study evaluated an ECD project in Tanzania, assessing the effectiveness of radio messaging (RM) alone and a combined radio messaging/video job aids/ECD (RMV-ECD) intervention, using a two-arm pre-post design study, which enrolled a cohort of caregivers of children 0-24 months in four districts of Tabora region, following them for nine months. ECD radio messages were broadcast on popular stations at least 10 times/day reaching all study districts. In two districts, community health workers (CHW) trained in UNICEF's Care for Child Development package and used ECD videos in home- and facility-based sessions with caregivers. Five outcomes were used to assess the intervention effects: ECD knowledge, early stimulation, father engagement, responsive care, and environment safety. Additionally the effect of the training and video job aids on the quality of CHWs' counseling support was evaluated primarily using structured observation checklists of household visits and facility group counseling sessions with caregivers and their children. Qualitative data was collected from a subset of caregivers and CHW participating in the study to assess acceptability and other perceptions of the project.

Conditions

• Child Development
• Father-Child Relations
• Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Safety Issues

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

RMV-ECD

Combined radio messaging, video job aids (primarily for CHWs), Care for Childhood Development package

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• President's Office, Regional Administration and Local Government

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Development Media International

  collaborator OTHER

• Aga Khan University

  collaborator OTHER

• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-10-13

Primary Completion

2021-03-31

Completion

2021-06-30

Countries

• Tanzania

Study Locations