Leveraging an Existing Large-scale Safe Water Program to Deliver Nutrition Messages at a Low Marginal Cost

Leveraging an Existing Large-scale Safe Water Program to Deliver Nutrition Messages at a Low Marginal Cost

Leveraging an Existing Large-scale Safe Water Program to Deliver Nutrition Messages at a Low Marginal Cost

The investigators are seeking to overcome the dual challenges of under-nutrition and diarrhea using an existing safe water supply platform to deliver nutrition information to targeted groups in Western Kenya. Using a randomized evaluation, investigators will determine the impact on nutrition status and practices of delivering nutrition information. The evaluation results will enable Evidence Action to make strategic decisions regarding the potential scale-up of the combined program across Kenya.

Evidence Action's Dispensers for Safe Water program currently provides access to safe water for two million people. The program would be able to leverage the existence of this service delivery platform to provide promoters with training on proper nutrition and methods for delivering these messages to target groups. The intervention is a home visiting program that will provide nutrition advice on complementary feeding to households with children aged 6-24 months. Two types of home visits will be evaluated, a 'traditional visit mode' in which the child's mother receives the visit; and a 'couples visit mode' in which the promoter attempts to involve both the father and mother. Households in the control group will also receive home visits by promoters but the content of the visit will be restricted to safe water. The same information on safe water will also be provided to households in the treatment group. Hence, the evaluation will measure the additional effect of providing nutrition information on top of information on safe water. Promoters will provide advice on nutrition and food hygiene to target households, according to criteria established by Evidence Action. Following the Guiding Principles for Complementary Feeding of the Breastfed Child (PAHO/WHO 2003), the intervention will include information on the maintenance of breastfeeding, safe/hygienic preparation and storage of complementary foods, amount of complementary food needed, food consistency, meal frequency and energy density, nutrient content of complementary foods, and feeding after illness. The home visits will be modelled on the MaiMwana Infant Feeding intervention (http://www.maimwana.malawi.net/MaiMwana/Home.html) that has been taking place in Mchinji (Malawi) since 2005. Households within the treatment group will be provided by a poster to hang in their dwellings with some basic information on nutrition. A random subset of households will be given a small poster in black and white, and the other subset of households will be give a larger color poster.

Provision of information on safe water and child nutrition. The information will be targeted to the mother of the child aged between 6 and 24 months old.

Provision of information on safe water and child nutrition. The information will be targeted to the mother of the child aged between 6 and 24 months old, and her husband.

A promoter from Evidence Action will visit the household and provide information on safe water, as well as child nutrition (including hygiene on food preparation and storage). Households will be given a poster to hang in their dwellings with basic nutrition information. The poster might be smaller and in black and white, or larger and in color.

A composite index of other anthropometric indicators (includes child's weight for age z-score, child's mid-upper arm circumference, and child's head circumference)

The composite index will include child's weight for age z-score, child's mid-upper arm circumference, and child's head circumference.

Probability of having a chat with a friend or acquaintance about food or nutrition measured using a structured questionnaire

Measured using a structured questionnaire. Having a chat in the last 3 days prior to the survey interview.

Measured using a structured questionnaire. Suffering from diarrhea in the last 7 days prior to the survey. Diarrhea is defined as having 3 loose stools in any one day and/or having blood in the stools at least once.

Inclusion Criteria: Children will be included if they are between 0 and 18 months at baseline and live within the catchment area of a water point in which Evidence Action installs a chlorine dispenser Exclusion Criteria: None