Improving Early Childhood Development in Zambia (IECDZ)
Stunting, Child Development
About this trial
This is an interventional screening trial for Stunting focused on measuring child health, child development, malnutrition, stunting, community-based health services
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Child ages 6 to 12 months at the time of intervention launch residing in the catchment areas of the five study health facilities
- Child's mother or main caregiver must be 15 years or older
- Child's primary caregiver must be a female (because the participants in the caregiver groups may feel uncomfortable discussing certain issues if a man is present)
Exclusion criteria
- Caregivers who are unwilling to provide informed consent
- Families that plan to move from their health center catchment zone during the twelve month period of the study
Sites / Locations
- Choma District Medical Office
- Pemba District Medical Office
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Experimental
No Intervention
Early Childhood Development Program
Control
Treatment clusters will be assigned a trained Child Development Agent (CDA) who will have four main tasks and responsibilities: 1) biweekly screening and management (including referral) of acute malnutrition in children; 2) encouragement of caregivers to utilize routine care services for children; 3) screening for symptoms of acute diseases including malaria, diarrhea, and pneumonia and referral for diagnosis and treatment; and 4) organization and mentoring of biweekly caregiver meetings to discuss parenting and promote early childhood cognitive stimulation. Amendment: during second year extension, CDAs are responsible for organizing and mentoring biweekly (i.e., fortnightly) caregiver meetings. They no longer conduct household visits.
Children residing in comparison health zones will only receive baseline and end line evaluations of their health and developmental status. There will be no active intervention in the comparison areas during the course of the study.