Alive & Thrive Nigeria Impact Evaluation
Condition: Complementary Feeding
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Investigators will use a cluster-randomized design to evaluate the overall impact of the
      Alive & Thrive infant and young child feeding communication strategies in Lagos and Kaduna
      States, Nigeria. The impact in each state and in a subset of urban local government areas
      (LGAs) will also be tested.This is a mixed methods evaluation; the quantitative data will be
      complemented by qualitative data obtained from different groups targeted by or involved in
      the program.
    

Detailed description: 
      Adequate nutrition during the first 1,000 days is necessary for children to grow and develop
      to their full potential. Alive & Thrive (A&T) contributes to better nutrition during the
      first 1,000 days by promoting improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. A&T
      is expanding its efforts to Nigeria and will target Lagos and Kaduna States. In Nigeria, 33%
      of infants are breastfed within 1 hour of delivery, 60% are given other fluids in the first 3
      days of life, and only 17% of children 0-5.9 months are exclusively breastfed. Approximately
      60% of children 6 to 23 months achieve the minimum meal frequency for their age and 19% are
      fed four or more food groups per day. To address these gaps in optimal IYCF practices, A&T
      will use an implementation framework for IYCF impact at scale that includes advocacy,
      interpersonal communication and community mobilization, mass communication, and strategic use
      of data. The A&T intervention will be compared to mass media communication on IYCF, which
      will be provided throughout the two states. LGAs in Lagos and Kaduna will be randomly
      allocated such that two-thirds receive the A&T intervention and one-third are assigned to the
      comparison group. The primary objectives of the evaluation are to measure the impact of the
      A&T intervention on IYCF practices among mothers with children 0-23 months of age overall, in
      each state, and in a subset of urban LGAs. Secondary evaluation objectives are to document:
      the type, quantity, and timing of the implementation of A&T program activities; coverage
      levels A&T achieves with different program activities; extent to which A&T increases
      knowledge and awareness of optimal IYCF practices among women with children 0 to 23 months
      and health providers; extent to which A&T improves the capacity of health providers to
      counsel mothers on IYCF; and extent to which A&T improves the capacity of stakeholders to
      implement community-based activities that support optimal IYCF practices.
    

Intervention name(s): A&T IYCF intervention
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): (1) Interpersonal communication through frontline workers/volunteers to increase mothers' knowledge and practice of optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) behaviors. Interpersonal communication will involve multiple contacts with mothers and an array of IYCF messages; (2) Community mobilization activities to raise awareness of the benefits of optimal IYCF practices among opinion leaders and family members, and increase their support to mother for IYCF; (3) Training of facility and community-based health workers on IYCF to improve their ability to support mothers and provide timely information on IYCF; and (4) Mass media communication on IYCF.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding