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Malnutrition, ChildNCT04101487

Cash Transfers to Increase Dietary Diversity in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia

A study testing Cash Transfer and Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education in people with Malnutrition, Child, run by Boston Children's Hospital at 1 site in Liberia.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The investigators aim to evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program delivered by community health assistants to increase dietary diversity among children 6 to 23 months of age in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 6 to 23 monthsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Malnutrition, Child
What is being tested?
Cash Transfer and Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
599 participants
Where
1 siteLiberia
Study dates
15 Oct 2019to 1 Nov 2022
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 6 to 23 months
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Participants 6 to 23 months of age
  • Participants with consenting caregivers to have monthly visits and to participate in the program
  • Caregivers of all ages will be included

Who cannot join

  • Participants who are younger than 6 months of age (children < 6 months of age are encouraged to exclusively breastfeed, making dietary diversity irrelevant in this age group)
  • Participants older than 23 months of age
  • Participants with non-consenting caregivers

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Liberia1 site

  • Grand Geddeh County Health Office

    Zwedru

Other trials in Liberia

About this study

Official title: A Cluster Randomized Trial to Study the Effect of Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education on Dietary Diversity Among Children 6-23 Months of Age in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia: A Pilot Study

The investigators aim to evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program delivered by community health assistants to increase dietary diversity among children 6 to 23 months of age in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia.

Read the detailed description

Worldwide, more than one in five children suffer from chronic malnutrition. In Liberia, there are more than 230,000 children suffering from chronic malnutrition and 32% of children under five are stunted. Previous studies have shown that inadequate dietary diversity is strongly associated with stunting in children under two years of age. An interventional package including cash transfers and education has the potential to improve dietary diversity and long-term outcomes such as improved growth and reduced rates of stunting among children.

The investigators' objective is to evaluate the efficacy of a cash transfer and nutrition education program delivered by community health assistants to increase dietary diversity among children 6 to 23 months of age in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia. The investigators will conduct a pilot, cluster randomized trial in 45 communities. The investigators hypothesize that a multi-pronged interventional package aimed at strengthening the household environment will result in improved dietary diversity for children 6 to 23 months of age. Moreover, the investigators also hypothesize that unconditional cash transfers will result in improved dietary diversity for children 6 to 23 months of age in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia.

Being tested
Cash Transfer, Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education
Keywords
Cash Transfers, Liberia, Stunting, Dietary diversity
Medical subject headings
Child Nutrition Disorders, Growth Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Cash TransferOther

    Monthly cash transfers

  • Cash Transfers and Nutrition EducationOther

    Cash transfers every month and structured nutrition education provided at household level by community health assistants based on a nutrition education handbook

Study groups in NCT04101487
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
ControlNo interventionParticipants in this arm will receive routine monthly visits along with survey administration and the regular package of health services provided at the facility level and at home by community health assistants
Cash TransfersExperimentalParticipants in this arm will receive routine monthly visits along with the regular package of health services provided at the facility level and at home by community health assistants and unconditional cash transfers every month
Receives: Other: Cash Transfer
Cash Transfers and Nutrition EducationExperimentalParticipants in this arm will receive routine monthly visits along with the regular package of health services provided at the facility level and at home by community health assistants, unconditional cash transfers every month, and structured nutrition education provided at household level by community health assistants based on a structured nutrition education handbook.
Receives: Other: Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in proportion of children 6 to 23 months of age who meet minimum dietary diversity scores (DDS) over the study period as reported by caregivers

    The DDS has been widely used to measure the sum of diverse food groups consumed in a 24-hour period

    Measured: 6 months

Secondary outcomes (9)

  1. Meal frequency

    Mean self-reported meal frequency over the 24-hour period prior to monthly CHA visits

    Measured: 6 months

  2. Increase in child weight in kilograms

    changes in child weight in kilograms during the study period measured with digital scale (UNISCALE)

    Measured: 6 months

  3. Increase in mid upper arm circumference in centimeters

    changes in mid upper arm circumference in centimeters measured with MUAC tape measure

    Measured: 6 months

  4. Increase in child length/height in centimeters

    changes in child length/height in centimeters during the study period measured with Height Board

    Measured: 6 months

  5. Health care utilization (clinic)

    number of clinic visits for illnesses (including type of illness)

    Measured: 6 months

  6. Health care utilization (hospital)

    hospitalizations (if any) during the study period

    Measured: 6 months

  7. Health care utilization (antimicrobials)

    use of antibiotics/antimalarials during the study period

    Measured: 6 months

  8. Health care utilization (nutritional support)

    if the child received supplementary nutritional support (e.g. ready to use therapeutic food RUTF)

    Measured: 6 months

  9. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices

    caregiver's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of infant and young child feeding

    Measured: 6 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted24 Sep 2019
  2. Study start15 Oct 2019
  3. Primary completion31 Jul 2021
  4. Study completion1 Nov 2022

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
599 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04101487
Sponsor's protocol ID
P00031767
Status last verified
Mar 2023
First submitted
27 Jun 2019
Last updated
10 Jan 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Rees CA, Cleon D, Davis AB, Sammy AM, Britto CD, Massaquoi W, Forkpa OW, Johnson AJ, Hook VF, MaCauley JA, Pewu GF, Gorpue M, Gborie A, Brown TT, Fannieh A, Dweh T, Marley RB, Baysah MK, Nowine NN, Niescierenko M, Zaizay L. Cash transfers and nutrition education to improve dietary diversity among children aged 6-23 months in Grand Gedeh County, Liberia: a cluster-randomized trial. J Trop Pediatr. 2022 Oct 6;68(6):fmac096. doi: 10.1093/tropej/fmac096.

    PubMed 36350714

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Cash Transfer and Cash Transfers and Nutrition Education in people with Malnutrition, Child, run by Boston Children's Hospital at 1 site in Liberia.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Jan 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Liberia. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in proportion of children 6 to 23 months of age who meet minimum dietary diversity scores (DDS) over the study period as reported by caregivers (time frame: 6 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04101487, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 10 Jan 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.

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