TY - JOUR
T1 - Feasibility and effectiveness of the baby friendly community initiative in rural Kenya
T2 - Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
AU - Kimani-Murage, Elizabeth W.
AU - Kimiywe, Judith
AU - Kabue, Mark
AU - Wekesah, Frederick
AU - Matiri, Evelyn
AU - Muhia, Nelson
AU - Wanjohi, Milka
AU - Muriuki, Peterrock
AU - Samburu, Betty
AU - Kanyuira, James N.
AU - Young, Sera L.
AU - Griffiths, Paula L.
AU - Madise, Nyovani J.
AU - McGarvey, Stephen T.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study is funded by the NIH and the USAID through the Partnership for Enhanced Engagement in Research (PEER) Health Program, administered by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). EWK-M was a Wellcome Trust Fellow during the development of this manuscript, Grant # 097146/Z/11/Z. PG is supported by a British Academy mid-career fellowship (Ref: MD120048). We acknowledge Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi of APHRC, Drs. Muthoni Magu-Kariuki and Linda H Archer of Jhpiego for their contribution to the design of the study.
Funding Information:
Methods: The study, employing a cluster-randomized trial design, will be conducted in rural Kenya. A total of 12 clusters, constituting community units within the government’s Community Health Strategy, will be randomized, with half allocated to the intervention and the other half to the control arm. A total of 812 pregnant women and their respective children will be recruited into the study. The mother-child pairs will be followed up until the child is 6 months old. Recruitment will last approximately 1 year from January 2015, and the study will run for 3 years, from 2014 to 2016. The intervention will involve regular counseling and support of mothers by trained community health workers and health professionals on maternal, infant and young child nutrition. Regular assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices on maternal, infant and young child nutrition will be done, coupled with assessment of nutritional status of the mother-child pairs and morbidity for the children. Statistical methods will include analysis of covariance, multinomial logistic regression and multilevel modeling. The study is funded by the NIH and USAID through the Program for Enhanced Research (PEER) Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Kimani-Murage et al.
PY - 2015/9/28
Y1 - 2015/9/28
N2 - Background: Interventions promoting optimal infant and young child nutrition could prevent a fifth of under-5 deaths in countries with high mortality. Poor infant and young child feeding practices are widely documented in Kenya, with potential detrimental effects on child growth, health and survival. Effective strategies to improve these practices are needed. This study aims to pilot implementation of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI), a global initiative aimed at promoting optimal infant and young child feeding practices, to determine its feasibility and effectiveness with regards to infant feeding practices, nutrition and health outcomes in a rural setting in Kenya. Methods: The study, employing a cluster-randomized trial design, will be conducted in rural Kenya. A total of 12 clusters, constituting community units within the government's Community Health Strategy, will be randomized, with half allocated to the intervention and the other half to the control arm. A total of 812 pregnant women and their respective children will be recruited into the study. The mother-child pairs will be followed up until the child is 6 months old. Recruitment will last approximately 1 year from January 2015, and the study will run for 3 years, from 2014 to 2016. The intervention will involve regular counseling and support of mothers by trained community health workers and health professionals on maternal, infant and young child nutrition. Regular assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices on maternal, infant and young child nutrition will be done, coupled with assessment of nutritional status of the mother-child pairs and morbidity for the children. Statistical methods will include analysis of covariance, multinomial logistic regression and multilevel modeling. The study is funded by the NIH and USAID through the Program for Enhanced Research (PEER) Health. Discussion: Findings from the study outlined in this protocol will inform potential feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based intervention aimed at promoting optimal breastfeeding and other infant feeding practices. The intervention, if proved feasible and effective, will inform policy and practice in Kenya and similar settings, particularly regarding implementation of the baby friendly community initiative.
AB - Background: Interventions promoting optimal infant and young child nutrition could prevent a fifth of under-5 deaths in countries with high mortality. Poor infant and young child feeding practices are widely documented in Kenya, with potential detrimental effects on child growth, health and survival. Effective strategies to improve these practices are needed. This study aims to pilot implementation of the Baby Friendly Community Initiative (BFCI), a global initiative aimed at promoting optimal infant and young child feeding practices, to determine its feasibility and effectiveness with regards to infant feeding practices, nutrition and health outcomes in a rural setting in Kenya. Methods: The study, employing a cluster-randomized trial design, will be conducted in rural Kenya. A total of 12 clusters, constituting community units within the government's Community Health Strategy, will be randomized, with half allocated to the intervention and the other half to the control arm. A total of 812 pregnant women and their respective children will be recruited into the study. The mother-child pairs will be followed up until the child is 6 months old. Recruitment will last approximately 1 year from January 2015, and the study will run for 3 years, from 2014 to 2016. The intervention will involve regular counseling and support of mothers by trained community health workers and health professionals on maternal, infant and young child nutrition. Regular assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices on maternal, infant and young child nutrition will be done, coupled with assessment of nutritional status of the mother-child pairs and morbidity for the children. Statistical methods will include analysis of covariance, multinomial logistic regression and multilevel modeling. The study is funded by the NIH and USAID through the Program for Enhanced Research (PEER) Health. Discussion: Findings from the study outlined in this protocol will inform potential feasibility and effectiveness of a community-based intervention aimed at promoting optimal breastfeeding and other infant feeding practices. The intervention, if proved feasible and effective, will inform policy and practice in Kenya and similar settings, particularly regarding implementation of the baby friendly community initiative.
KW - Breastfeeding
KW - Child nutrition
KW - Cluster randomized controlled trials
KW - Infant feeding practices
KW - Kenya
KW - Rural
KW - sub-Saharan Africa
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84942513456&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13063-015-0935-3
DO - 10.1186/s13063-015-0935-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 26416177
AN - SCOPUS:84942513456
SN - 1745-6215
VL - 16
JO - Trials
JF - Trials
IS - 1
M1 - 431
ER -