The impact of a counselling intervention on nutrition practices among caregivers of children under two in the Kyrgyz Republic
Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of a counselling programme to strengthen the health and nutrition behaviours of caregivers of children under 2 and the sustainability of that impact through reduced intervention intensity one year later. Design: The programme trained community- and facility...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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Cambridge University Press,
2024-01-01T00:00:00Z.
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| Summary: | Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of a counselling programme to strengthen the health and nutrition behaviours of caregivers of children under 2 and the sustainability of that impact through reduced intervention intensity one year later. Design: The programme trained community- and facility-based health staff to provide nutrition counselling. We conducted an impact evaluation with a modified stepped-wedge design using difference-in-differences analysis to compare indicator changes in an intervention group to a comparison group (midterm survey) and then a full intervention group to a light intervention group (final survey). Setting: Batken and Jalal-Abad oblasts, the Kyrgyz Republic, 2020-2023. Participants: Caregivers of children under 2 provided 6253 responses in three telephone surveys. Results: We observed statistically significant differences between the intervention and comparison groups at midterm for the percentage of children consuming vitamin A-rich foods; an increase in the intervention group (58-62 %) and a decrease in the comparison group (61-57 %). We observed similar results with exclusive breastfeeding (51-55 % in the intervention group and 48-40 % in the comparison group). There were also positive differences in other health and nutrition indicators. With the final survey results, in general, we observed statistically significant differences indicating a bigger change in full intervention areas compared to light intervention areas. We observed small negative changes in many indicators in light intervention areas. Conclusions: This evaluation highlights the importance of continued support for local interventions, particularly counselling programmes, to foster optimal nutrition behaviours. |
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| Item Description: | 10.1017/S1368980024001307 1368-9800 1475-2727 |