Effects of Complementary Feeding Counseling on Appropriate Complementary Feeding Practices and Child Undernutrition

Bahir Dar University776 enrolled

Overview

Appropriate complementary feeding practices as per the World Health Organization recommendations is a window of opportunity to promote health and prevent acute and chronic undernutrition (stunting, wasting \& underweight). Globally, the burden of undernutrition remains unacceptably high, and the progress of undernutrition reduction is unsatisfactorily slow. In Ethiopia, appropriate complementary feeding practices of mothers to their children are very low. In contrast, child undernutrition is a major public health problem.

Appropriate nutrition during the first 1000 days of life lays the foundation for a child's health and well-being. Introduction of complementary foods within 6-8 months of age and step-wise increase of diversified plant and animal-based diets is necessary, for which exclusive breast milk is no longer enough to meet the nutritional needs. Appropriate complementary feeding practices as per the World Health Organization recommendations is a window of opportunity to promote health and prevent acute and chronic undernutrition (stunting, wasting \& underweight). Globally, the burden of undernutrition remains unacceptably high, and the progress of undernutrition reduction is unsatisfactorily slow. In Ethiopia, appropriate complementary feeding practices of mothers to their children are very low. In contrast, child undernutrition is a major public health problem. This study aims to determine the effects of complementary feeding counseling on appropriate complementary feeding practices and child undernutrition through a community-based randomized controlled trial.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

776

Conditions

Feeding Behavior

Interventions

Complementary feeding counselingBEHAVIORAL

Complementary Feeding Counseling to Improve Appropriate Complementary Feeding Practices and Reduce Child Undernutrition

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 6 MonthsMax age: 21 Months

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Criteria: Inclusion Criteria: 1. Mother-child pairs whose children are 6 months old. 2. Mother-child pairs who reside in the study area for at least 6 months before the survey. 3. Mother-child pairs who have no intention of leaving the study area during the intervention period. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Mothers with severe mental illness or who are unable to communicate (e.g., deaf). 2. Mother-child pairs with severe congenital malformations of their children.

Locations (1)

Bahir Dar University

Bahir Dar, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Change from baseline in appropriate complementary feeding practices of mothers for their children at 9 months.

Questions related to complementary feeding practices will be used to measure these practices of mothers for their children (Appropriate/Inappropriate). To measure appropriate complementary feeding practices, we will follow the World Health Organization recommendations for infant and young child feeding practices, continuation of breastfeeding, starting solid, semi-solid or soft foods at 6 months of age, the eight indicators used to calculate the dietary diversity, and the meal frequency will be asked. Minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and consumption of egg and/or flesh food will be determined. Appropriate complementary feeding practice is defined if the four indicators: timely introduction of complementary foods, minimum dietary diversity, minimum meal frequency, and consumption of egg and/or flesh food are fulfilled. Otherwise, inappropriate if a child's feeding practices do not fulfill even one of the components of appropriate complementary feeding practices.

Time frame: Time Frame: At baseline (from June 9 to December 30, 2023), and in 9 months (from September 30 to December 30, 2024).

Secondary Outcomes

Change from baseline in child nutritional status at 9 months

The child nutritional status (Undernutrition / No Undernutrition) will be determined by measuring the length, weight, and calculating the child's age. Length will be measured using a calibrated length board to the nearest 1mm (0.1cm). Weight will be measured using mechanical hanging scale with weighing pants to the nearest 10g at the time of enrollment and 100g at end-line measurements. Before weighing the child, the weighing scale will be hung securely and set to zero. The child's age will be calculated by subtracting the child's date of birth from the date of baseline data collection. Undernutrition will be defined if a child is considered wasted, or underweight, or stunted. The child is wasted: when the weight-for-length-Z score (WLZ) is \<-2 standard deviations; underweight: when weight-for-age Z score (WAZ) is \<-2 standard deviations, and stunted: when length-for-age Z score (LAZ) is \<-2 standard deviations.

Time frame: Time Frame: At baseline (from June 9 to December 30, 2023), and in 9 months (from September 30 to December 30, 2024).

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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