RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program on dietary diversity among children in Liberia. We hypothesized that a multi-pronged intervention would result in improved dietary diversity among children. METHODS: We conducted a three-armed, cluster-randomized study in 42 communities (12 children per community) in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia, over a 12-month period. We randomly assigned communities to control (n = 14 communities), those that received both bimonthly cash transfers and a structured nutrition education program (n = 14 communities) and those that received bimonthly cash transfers alone (n = 14 communities). Community health assistants conducted bimonthly assessments in participants' homes. The primary outcome was the proportion of children aged 6-23 months who met minimum dietary diversity score (i.e., ≥4 food groups consumed per day). Secondary outcomes included meal frequency and healthcare utilization for illnesses (NCT04101487). RESULTS: There were 599 children enrolled; 533 (88.9%) were retained through the trial period. The proportion of children who consumed ≥4 food groups per day did not differ among the three arms. However, children randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. CONCLUSION: Bimonthly, unconditional cash transfers and nutrition education were associated with higher dietary diversity scores, greater meal frequency, and fewer healthcare visits for illnesses among children aged 6-23 months.
Worldwide, more than one in five children suffers from chronic malnutrition. Children aged <2 years who do not eat a diverse diet are at risk of chronic malnutrition and stunting of their height. Thus, interventions are needed to combat the common problem of chronic malnutrition, particularly in settings like rural Liberia where as much as 30% of children are stunted. In this study, caregivers of children aged 623 months in rural communities in Eastern Liberia were randomly assigned to receive either bimonthly cash transfers, bimonthly cash transfers and specific nutrition education, or routine support from community health assistants to see if giving caregivers money and nutrition education would increase the dietary diversity of their young children. There were 599 children enrolled and 533 were retained over a 12-month study period. Children in communities randomized to receive cash transfers had higher dietary diversity scores than the control group. Children in communities that received cash transfers alone and with nutrition education consumed significantly more meals per day and were less likely to have visits to clinics or hospitals for illnesses than children in control communities. Unconditional cash transfers in rural Liberia may be one way to reduce inadequate dietary diversity among young children.