利用行为洞察力提高幼儿对优质蛋白玉米的消费：埃塞俄比亚的一项群组随机试验

Behavioural insights to support increased consumption of quality protein maize by young children: a cluster randomised trial in Ethiopia.

机构信息

Boston Consulting Group, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Global Health and Population, Harvard University T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

出版信息

BMJ Glob Health. 2020 Dec;5(12). doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002705.

DOI:10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002705

PMID:33355261

原文链接:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7751204/

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Biofortified crops have tremendous potential to improve child nutrition. We tested whether complementing the distribution of quality protein maize (QPM) with a package of interventions informed by behavioural insights could support greater consumption of QPM by young children and translate into improved growth.

METHODS

We conducted a cluster-randomised trial in Oromia, Ethiopia. Clusters of households with a child between 6 and 35 months were randomised into an arm receiving QPM seed only (320 households, 203 clusters) or an arm receiving QPM seed and a child consumption targeting intervention (290 households, 183 clusters). The intervention package included tools to help caregivers keep QPM separate from conventional maize and to earmark QPM specifically for child consumption, as well as encouragement regarding cooking QPM specifically for young children. We analysed the impact of the intervention on food storage, cooking and consumption behaviours and on anthropometric measures (weight-for-age, height-for-age z scores).

RESULTS

The consumption targeting intervention increased the probability of child consumption of QPM in the past week by 17.3 percentage points (pp) (95% CI 9.4 pp to 25.1 pp; p<0.01), increased the probability that QPM flour was stored separately from conventional maize by 46.5 pp (95% CI 38.3 pp to 54.7 pp; p<0.01) and increased the probability that caregivers cooked QPM specifically for young children in the past week by 14.4 pp (95% CI 7.9 pp to 20.9 pp; p<0.01). These effects persisted, but were attenuated, 10 months postintervention. No significant effects on anthropometric outcomes were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhancing the distribution of new, biofortified crop varieties with a consumption targeting campaign can change storage, cooking and consumption behaviours. However, these improved behaviours did not translate into increased growth in this setting.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02710760 and AEARCTR0000786.

摘要

简介

生物强化作物具有极大的潜力来改善儿童营养。我们检验了通过行为洞察得到的一整套干预措施来补充优质蛋白玉米（QPM）的分配，是否能支持幼儿对 QPM 的更多消费，并转化为生长的改善。

方法

我们在埃塞俄比亚奥罗米亚州进行了一项群组随机试验。6 至 35 个月大的儿童所在家庭被分为两组，一组接受 QPM 种子，一组接受 QPM 种子和儿童消费目标干预措施（320 户，203 个群组；290 户，183 个群组）。该干预措施包包括帮助照顾者将 QPM 与传统玉米分开储存的工具，以及专门为儿童消费指定 QPM 的工具，并鼓励专门为幼儿烹饪 QPM。我们分析了干预措施对食品储存、烹饪和消费行为以及人体测量指标（年龄别体重、年龄别身高 Z 评分）的影响。

结果

目标消费干预措施使儿童在过去一周内食用 QPM 的可能性增加了 17.3 个百分点（95%CI 9.4 个百分点至 25.1 个百分点；p<0.01），使 QPM 面粉与传统玉米分开储存的可能性增加了 46.5 个百分点（95%CI 38.3 个百分点至 54.7 个百分点；p<0.01），使照顾者在过去一周内专门为幼儿烹饪 QPM 的可能性增加了 14.4 个百分点（95%CI 7.9 个百分点至 20.9 个百分点；p<0.01）。这些影响持续存在，但在干预后 10 个月时有所减弱。未发现对人体测量结果有显著影响。