Impact of Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend and Nutrition Education on Turkana Children's Health Outcomes

NCT06866626 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: IRB2023-381
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 602
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study was to test the effect of an intervention that Integrated supplemental feeding program for children aged 6-59 months with a caregiver intensive nutrition education intervention on the health outcomes of Turkan children aged 6-59 months. The purpose of this study was fivefold: (i) to assess child nutrition status, food security status, child feeding practices, water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) practices, and the associated factors in Turkana County, Kenya. (ii) To assess the nutrition knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions towards recommended child feeding practices among Turkana caregivers of children aged 6-59 months. (iii) To assess the effect of a theory-based nutrition education intervention on nutrition knowledge, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions towards recommended child feeding practices among Turkana caregivers of children aged 6-59 months, (iv) to evaluate the effect of a theory-based nutrition education intervention on child feeding practices and WASH practices among Turkana caregivers of children aged 6-59 months, (v) and to assess the effect of consuming Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend combined with nutrition education intervention on the nutritional status of Turkana children aged 6 -59 months. In this quasi-experimental study, children in the intervention group received a daily meal of Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend (6 days/week) for eight weeks and their caregivers' received sessions of nutrition education on infant and young child feeding practices and WASH practices. The participants in the control group were only given one bag of supplemental food on the days of data collection to compensate for their time

Conditions

Malnutrition, Child

Keywords

Complementary feeding; WASH practices; Child undernutrition; nutrition education; Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend; Supplemental feeding

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Weight

  Child's weight measurements were taken using an electronic weighing scale (ROTLIN) and recorded to the nearest 0.01kg. To measure the weight of children less than 24 months, we first weighed their caregivers alone and then weighed caregivers with the child. To gain the true weight of the child we subtracted the combined weight of the child and their caregiver from the caregiver's recorded weight. Children older than 24 months were weighed alone.

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

Secondary Outcomes (18)

• Height

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

• Height-for-age z-scores (HAZ)

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

• Weight-for-age z-scores (WAZ)

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

• Weight-for-height z scores (WHZ)

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

• % of children affected by stunting

  Baseline, midline (4 weeks after baseline assessments) and Endline (8 weeks after baseline assessments)

Study Arms (2)

Intervention group

EXPERIMENTAL

This arm consisted of 171 children aged 6-59 months and 145 children's caregivers. Children received a daily meal of a supplemental food (Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend) six days a week for a total of eight weeks. Additionally, their caregivers received a theory-based nutrition education intervention on complementary feeding practices and water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) practices for eight weeks.

Behavioral: Theory-Based Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and WASH Practices Among Turkana Caregivers; Dietary Supplement: Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend

Control group

NO INTERVENTION

This group consistent of 147 children aged 6-59 months and 139 children's caregivers. Children in the control group were given one bag of Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend on the days of data collection while their caregivers received no nutrition education intervention.

Interventions

Theory-Based Nutrition Education Intervention to Improve Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices and WASH Practices Among Turkana Caregivers BEHAVIORAL

This nutrition education intervention was designed following the DESIGN procedure, informed by the Theory of Planned Behavior, and employed health literacy principles. The nutrition education sessions were held Monday through Saturday for a total of 8 weeks in a community building. This nutrition education intervention had 4 modules, module one covered the recommended breastfeeding practices, including early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and continued breastfeeding. The second module was on the young child feeding practices, with a focus on the quality and quantity of the child's meal. The third module entailed WASH practices such as disinfection of drinking water, harms of open defecation, and other personal and household hygiene practices. The fourth module served as a comprehensive review of all previous modules.

Intervention group

Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend is a dehydrated supplemental food produced from natural ingredients namely, rice, carrots, lentils and onions. This product was prepared by mixing it with water and boiling the mixture for approximately 25-35 minutes to a mid-consistency. In this study we implemented a blanket supplementary feeding program where all the recruited children in the intervention group received a meal of Harvest Lentil Vegetable Blend. The feeding program was on-site, and participating children aged 6-12 months received three-quarters of a cup of the supplemental food, (\~ 52 kcal/d). Children aged 13-23 months received 1 cup of the supplemental food (∼69 kcal/d), whereas children aged 24-59 months received 2 cups of the supplemental food (∼138 kcal/d). The feeding was implemented for 6 days a week (Monday through Saturday) for a total of eight weeks.

Intervention group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Months - 59 Months
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Children between 6-59 months
• no known allergy reactions to rice, lentils, carrots and onions
• being a permanent resident of nayada and sopel villages
• willingness to participate in the study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Texas Tech University: lead
• Breedlove Foods Inc: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Community Building

Sopel Village, Turkana County, Kenya

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Child Nutrition Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor of Nutrition

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 25, 2025
• First Posted: March 10, 2025
• Study Start: June 12, 2023
• Primary Completion: August 15, 2023
• Study Completion: August 15, 2023
• Last Updated: March 10, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

KE (1)