Effectiveness of a community-based intervention to improve nutrition in young children in Senegal: a difference in difference analysis

Abstract

There are few studies of community growth promotion as a means of addressing malnutrition that are based on longitudinal analysis of large-scale programmes with adequate controls to construct a counterfactual. The current study uses a difference in difference comparison of cohorts to assess the impact on the proportion of underweight children who lived in villages receiving services provided by the Senegal Nutrition Enhancement Project between 2004 and 2006. The project, designed to extend nutrition and growth promotion intervention into rural areas through non-governmental organisation service providers, significantly lowered the risk of a child having a weight more than 2 SD below international norms. The odds ratio of being underweight for children in programme villages after introduction of the intervention was 0?83 (95 % CI 0?686, 1?000), after controlling for regional trends and village and household characteristics. Most measured aspects of health care and health seeking behaviour improved in the treatment relative to the control.

Effect of community-based food supplementation on improving growth of underweight children under five years of age in West Nusa Tenggara

“…Another disadvantage of the WHO standard is that the chart increases the disease burden up to two-fold, compared to the CDC standard. 8 The supplementary food program was unsuccessful in improving our subjects' growth. Figures 1 and 2 show that both median weight and height did not improve during the 10 months of follow-up.…”

“…The Senegal study also found that children born from a mother who received nutritional education during pregnancy had better nutritional status than those born to mothers who did not receive nutritional education. 8 As such, we recommend that to our PHC officers add maternal education to their routine program.…”

Hábitos alimentares e comportamento de consumo infantil: influência da renda familiar e do hábito de assistir à televisão

“…O fato de as crianças da escola pública frequentarem projetos sociais no período contrário à escola também pode ter influenciado no resultado, visto que nesses locais recebiam refeições que incluíam frutas, legumes e verduras. A efetividade de programas não governamentais em comunidades carentes que visem à melhora da alimentação e nutrição entre crianças é reconhecida tanto para a prevenção de doenças como para a promoção de saúde 19 .…”

“…Entretanto, as pressões comerciais voltadas para essa população e as mensagens cuidadosamente direcionadas a segmentos específicos do público infantil são cada vez mais frequentes 8 . Estudos indicam que as crianças que prestam mais atenção às propagandas de TV compram mais os produtos anunciados 19 . No caso da televisão brasileira, é grande o número de propagandas de alimentos, em sua maioria produtos de baixa qualidade nutricional 31 .…”

Saving Lives: Evidence from a Conditional Food Supplementation Program

“…On conditional cash transfers: Attanasio et al (2005); on community nutrition programs: White and Masset (2007); Hossain et al (2005); Galasso and Umapathi (2009) ;Galasso, Umapathi, and Yau (2011);Alderman et al (2009); on early child development programs: Armecin et al (2006); Alderman (2007); Alderman et al (2006);Behrman, Cheng, and Todd (2004).…”