Women Supporting Women to Improve Infant and Child Feeding Practices

Summary

Undernutrition in the first 2 years of life is the largest preventable cause of death before age 5. Among those who survive, stunting before age two leaves millions with lifelong physical and cognitive deficits, which are difficult to compensate for later in life. Pakistan is home to the second largest number of stunted children in South Asia. The primary goal of this study is to rehabilitate moderately malnourished children aged 7-23 months and enable mothers to sustain this healthy growth at home by changing their infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices, child care, hygiene and health-seeking behaviours.

Conditions

• Undernutrition
• Healthy Nutrition
• Health Behavior
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Child Malnutrition
• Child Rearing
• Health Care Seeking Behavior

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Community Sensitization

One event will be developed and delivered for households in each cluster area. Approach and content will be informed by the formative research and CAC input (may include drama and nutrition fairs).

BEHAVIORAL

28-day PD/Hearth Sessions

Mothers will come together in a home-like setting to rehabilitate their malnourished child (8 dyads/Hearth), learn and practice new feeding and childcare behaviours (during Covid-19: 4 dyads/Hearth). Curriculum and activities will be informed by CAC, CORE Guide and formative research. Two female facilitators will demonstrate, encourage, convey key messages and guide practices.

BEHAVIORAL

Supplemental Print Information

The content will be informed by the formative research and CAC, will reinforce Hearth messages, and be adapted for each gender group. Material will be locally produced, engaging, user friendly, and target an illiterate audience (i.e. culturally relevant images with minimal text).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of British Columbia

  collaborator OTHER

• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

  collaborator OTHER_GOV

• Aga Khan University

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

7 Months

Max Age

9 Months

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-09-01

Primary Completion

2026-03-30

Completion

2027-06-30

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations