TY - JOUR
T1 - Design of a prospective, randomized evaluation of an integrated nutrition program in rural Viet Nam
AU - Marsh, David R.
AU - Pachón, Helena
AU - Schroeder, Dirk G.
AU - Ha, Tran Thu
AU - Dearden, Kirk
AU - Lang, Tran Thi
AU - Hien, Nguyen Dhanh
AU - Tuan, Doan Anh
AU - Thach, Tran Duc
AU - Claussenius, David R.
PY - 2002/12/1
Y1 - 2002/12/1
N2 - Few prospective studies of child growth and its determinants take place in programmatic contexts. We evaluated the effect of Save the Children's (SC) community empowerment and nutrition program (CENP) on child growth, care, morbidity, empowerment, and behavioral determinants. This paper describes the research methods of this community-based study. We used a longitudinal, prospective, randomized design. We selected 12 impoverished communes with documented child malnutrition, three comparison, and three intervention communes in each of two districts in Phu Tho Province, west of Hanoi. SC taught district trainers in November 1999 to train local health volunteers to implement the 10-month CENP, including situation analysis, positive deviance (PD) inquiry, growth monitoring and promotion, nutrition education and rehabilitation program (NERP), deworming, and monitoring. PD inquiries aim to discover successful care practices in poor households that likely promote well-nourished children. NERPs are neighborhood-based, facilitated group learning sessions where caregivers of malnourished children learn and practice PD and other healthy behaviors. We dewormed all intervention and comparison children. We randomly selected 240 children 5 to 25 months of age (120 intervention and 120 comparison). We gathered information on nutritional status, diet, illness, care, behavioral determinants, empowerment, and program quality, monthly for six months with a re-survey at 12 months. We collected most information through maternal interview but also observed hygiene and program quality, and videotaped feedings at home. Some implementation and research limitations will attenuate CENP impact and measurement of its effectiveness.
AB - Few prospective studies of child growth and its determinants take place in programmatic contexts. We evaluated the effect of Save the Children's (SC) community empowerment and nutrition program (CENP) on child growth, care, morbidity, empowerment, and behavioral determinants. This paper describes the research methods of this community-based study. We used a longitudinal, prospective, randomized design. We selected 12 impoverished communes with documented child malnutrition, three comparison, and three intervention communes in each of two districts in Phu Tho Province, west of Hanoi. SC taught district trainers in November 1999 to train local health volunteers to implement the 10-month CENP, including situation analysis, positive deviance (PD) inquiry, growth monitoring and promotion, nutrition education and rehabilitation program (NERP), deworming, and monitoring. PD inquiries aim to discover successful care practices in poor households that likely promote well-nourished children. NERPs are neighborhood-based, facilitated group learning sessions where caregivers of malnourished children learn and practice PD and other healthy behaviors. We dewormed all intervention and comparison children. We randomly selected 240 children 5 to 25 months of age (120 intervention and 120 comparison). We gathered information on nutritional status, diet, illness, care, behavioral determinants, empowerment, and program quality, monthly for six months with a re-survey at 12 months. We collected most information through maternal interview but also observed hygiene and program quality, and videotaped feedings at home. Some implementation and research limitations will attenuate CENP impact and measurement of its effectiveness.
KW - Child nutrition
KW - Child-care
KW - Diet
KW - Effectiveness evaluation
KW - Hearth
KW - Malnutrition
KW - Positive deviance
KW - Viet Nam
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=12244273010&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/food/fnb23-4s.pdf
M3 - Article
C2 - 12503230
AN - SCOPUS:12244273010
SN - 0379-5721
VL - 23
SP - 36
EP - 44
JO - Food and Nutrition Bulletin
JF - Food and Nutrition Bulletin
IS - 4 SUPP
ER -