The University of North Carolina (UNC) and Partners for Development (PFD), an American non-governmental organization, will conduct a 2-year cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bauchi State, Nigeria, to test the effectiveness of two behavior change strategies for increasing the proportion of participants who exclusively breastfeed their infants until 6 months. The investigators will build upon PFD's existing microcredit and reproductive health program by adding face-to-face breastfeeding education during borrowers' meetings and bi-weekly cell phone breastfeeding messages. The hypothesis is that the control group will remain at the baseline level for exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months, while the intervention group will increase by 15%. The investigators will measure the effectiveness of the intervention by conducting baseline and final surveys with a cohort of 485 female borrowers who are pregnant at time 1 and who have a 6-month-old infant at time 2. The data will be analyzed using logistic regression adjusting for possible confounders and the effect of clustering.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
485
* Breastfeeding counseling during monthly microcredit meetings * Weekly cell phone messages about breastfeeding
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed to 6 months
Time frame: The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed for 0-1 month
Time frame: The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed for 2-3 months
Time frame: The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth
Time frame: The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Proportion of infants who receive pre-lacteal feeds
Time frame: The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
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