TY - JOUR
T1 - An integrated microcredit, entrepreneurial training, and nutrition education intervention is associated with better growth among preschool-aged children in rural Ghana
AU - Marquis, Grace S.
AU - Colecraft, Esi K.
AU - Sakyi-Dawson, Owuraku
AU - Lartey, Anna
AU - Ahunu, Ben K.
AU - Birks, Katherine A.
AU - Butler, Lorna M.
AU - Reddy, Manju B.
AU - Jensen, Helen H.
AU - Huff-Lonergan, Elizabeth
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 American Society for Nutrition.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Background: Poor diet quality is a determinant of the high prevalence rates of malnutrition in Ghana. There is little evidence on the effectiveness of a multisector intervention to improve children's diets and nutritional status. Objective: The project tested whether participation in an entrepreneurial and nutrition education intervention with microcredit was associated with the nutritional status of children 2-5 y of age. Methods: A quasi-experimental 16-mo intervention was conducted with microcredit loans and weekly sessions of nutrition and entrepreneurship education for 179 women with children 2-5 y of age [intervention group (IG)]. Nonparticipating women and their children from the same villages (nonparticipant, n = 142) and from similar neighboring villages (comparison, n = 287) were enrolled. Repeated measures linear regression models were used first to examine children's weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and body mass index-for-age (BAZ) z scores at baseline and at 4 follow-up time points ~4 mo apart. Time, intervention status, time-by-intervention interaction terms, region of residence, household wealth rank, household head occupation, number of children <5 y of age, and child sex and age were included. Results: There was a significant interaction between the IG and time for BAZ (P = 0.02) with significant Bonferronicorrected pairwise comparisons between the IG and comparison group (CG) at 8 mo (difference of 0.36±0.09 z score, P < 0.0001). The WAZ group difference was significant between 4 and 16 mo (P = 0.01 for interaction) and peaked at 8-12 mo (differences of ~0.28 z). The HAZ of children in the IG was significantly higher than that in the CG, reaching a 0.19 z difference at 16 mo (P < 0.05). When the fixed effects models were fitted in sensitivity analyses, some group anthropometric differences were of lower magnitude but remained significant. Conclusion: An integrated package of microcredit and education may improve nutritional outcomes of children living in poor, rural communities.
AB - Background: Poor diet quality is a determinant of the high prevalence rates of malnutrition in Ghana. There is little evidence on the effectiveness of a multisector intervention to improve children's diets and nutritional status. Objective: The project tested whether participation in an entrepreneurial and nutrition education intervention with microcredit was associated with the nutritional status of children 2-5 y of age. Methods: A quasi-experimental 16-mo intervention was conducted with microcredit loans and weekly sessions of nutrition and entrepreneurship education for 179 women with children 2-5 y of age [intervention group (IG)]. Nonparticipating women and their children from the same villages (nonparticipant, n = 142) and from similar neighboring villages (comparison, n = 287) were enrolled. Repeated measures linear regression models were used first to examine children's weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ), and body mass index-for-age (BAZ) z scores at baseline and at 4 follow-up time points ~4 mo apart. Time, intervention status, time-by-intervention interaction terms, region of residence, household wealth rank, household head occupation, number of children <5 y of age, and child sex and age were included. Results: There was a significant interaction between the IG and time for BAZ (P = 0.02) with significant Bonferronicorrected pairwise comparisons between the IG and comparison group (CG) at 8 mo (difference of 0.36±0.09 z score, P < 0.0001). The WAZ group difference was significant between 4 and 16 mo (P = 0.01 for interaction) and peaked at 8-12 mo (differences of ~0.28 z). The HAZ of children in the IG was significantly higher than that in the CG, reaching a 0.19 z difference at 16 mo (P < 0.05). When the fixed effects models were fitted in sensitivity analyses, some group anthropometric differences were of lower magnitude but remained significant. Conclusion: An integrated package of microcredit and education may improve nutritional outcomes of children living in poor, rural communities.
KW - Animal source foods
KW - Diet
KW - Growth
KW - Nutrition education
KW - Preschool children
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84963951231&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3945/jn.114.194498
DO - 10.3945/jn.114.194498
M3 - Article
C2 - 25644356
AN - SCOPUS:84963951231
SN - 0022-3166
VL - 145
SP - 335
EP - 343
JO - Journal of Nutrition
JF - Journal of Nutrition
IS - 2
ER -