Cash transfers and behaviour change communications to reduce child undernutrition in rural Bangladesh (CHERE)

Project Member(s): Laba, T.

Funding or Partner Organisation: National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC Project Grants)
National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC Project Grants)
National Health & Medical Research Council (National Health Medical Research Council)
National Health & Medical Research Council (National Health Medical Research Council)

Start year: 2019

Summary: Under-nutrition of children remains a major public health problem in low & middle income countries including Bangladesh. Tackling this problem will require more evidence about what combination of nutrition-specific and nutrition sensitive interventions is most effective in reducing child undernutrition. Inappropriate infant feeding practices are a major contributor to this undernutrition and nutrition-specific behaviour change communications is a core intervention, although alone may not be sufficient especially in poor and food insecure families. Food supplements for food insecure households with vulnerable children have been often used to help prevent child undernutrition. Recent studies indicate that social safety network payments or cash transfers maybe be equally effective. A recently conducted pilot study suggests that the greatest effect on child undernutrition comes from combining cash transfers with behaviour change communications. We plan to conduct a cluster randomized controlled trial using a 2 group design to assess the impact on childhood stunting of 2 main interventions: nutrition behaviour change communications using mobile phones, and unconditional cash transfers. The findings from this trial will have global significance and will form an evidence base to guide governments and international agencies as to the best combination of interventions to prevent child undernutrition in food insecure populations.

FOR Codes: Health Economics, Behaviour and Health, Evaluation of Health Outcomes