To conduct a systematic review of experimental or quasi-experimental studies that aimed to improve the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age in Ethiopia.

Embase, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsychINFO, and Academic Search Database were used to locate peer-reviewed studies, and Google Scholar and Open Dissertation were used to locate grey literatures. All searches were conducted between 2000 and November 2022.

Ethiopia.

Pregnant women and mothers with children aged 0–59 months.

Ten cluster randomised controlled trials (RCT), six quasi-experimental studies and two individual RCT were included. Out of the identified eighteen studies, three studies targeted pregnant mothers. Our findings showed that almost two-thirds of published interventions had no impact on childhood stunting and wasting, and more than half had no impact on underweight. Some behaviour change communication (BCC) interventions, food vouchers, micronutrient supplementation and quality protein maize improved stunting. Similarly, BCC and fish oil supplementation showed promise in reducing wasting, while BCC and the provision of quality protein maize reduced underweight. Additionally, water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) interventions provided to pregnant mothers and children under 2 years of age were shown to significantly reduce childhood stunting.

Future childhood nutritional interventions in Ethiopia should consider adopting an integrated approach that combines the positive effects of interdependent systems such as BCC, food supplemental programmes (e.g. boosting protein and micronutrients), health interventions (e.g. strengthening maternal and childcare), WaSH and financial initiatives (e.g. monetary support and income schemes).

This process evaluation aimed to understand factors affecting the implementation of a government-sponsored short message service (SMS) programme for delivering nutrition information to rural populations, including message access, acceptability and putting messages into action.

The study was nested within a larger randomised controlled trial. Cross-sectional data collection included structured surveys and in-depth interviews. Data were analysed for key trends and themes using Stata and ATLAS.ti software.

The study took place in Tanzania’s Mtwara region.

Surveys were conducted with 205 women and 93 men already enrolled in the randomised controlled trial. A sub-set of 30 women and 14 men participated in the in-depth interviews.

Among women relying on a spouse’s phone, sharing arrangements impeded regular SMS access; men were commonly away from home, forgot to share SMS or did not share them in women’s preferred way. Phone-owning women faced challenges related to charging their phones and defective handsets. Once SMS were delivered, most participants viewed them as trustworthy and comprehensible. However, economic conditions limited the feasibility of applying certain recommendations, such as feeding meat to toddlers. A sub-set of participants concurrently enrolled in an interpersonal counselling (IPC) intervention indicated that the SMS provided reminders of lessons learned during the IPC; yet, the SMS did not help participants contextualise information and overcome the challenges of putting that information into practice.

The challenges to accessing and implementing SMS services highlighted here suggest that such platforms may work well as one component of a comprehensive nutrition intervention, yet not as an isolated effort.

The objective was to evaluate maternal Mediterranean diet (MD) pattern adherence during pregnancy and its association with small for gestational age (SGA) and preterm birth. A secondary objective of the current study was to describe the sociodemographic, lifestyle and obstetric profile of the mothers studied as well as the most relevant paternal and newborn characteristics.

The current study is a two-phase retrospective population-based study of maternal dietary habits during pregnancy and their effect on newborn size and prematurity. The descriptive first phase examined maternal dietary habits during pregnancy along with the maternal sociodemographic, lifestyle and obstetric profile in a cross-sectional period study. In the second phase, newborn outcomes were evaluated in a nested case–control study. Adherence to MD during pregnancy was measured with the Spanish version of Kidmed index.

Obstetrics ward of the La Fe Hospital in Valencia.

All mother–child pairs admitted after delivery during a 12-month period starting from January 2018 were assessed for eligibility. A total of 1118 provided complete outcome data after signing informed consent.

14·5 % met the criteria of poor adherence (PA); 34·8 %, medium adherence (MA); and 50·7 %, optimal adherence (OA). Medium adherence to MD was associated in the adjusted scenarios with a higher risk of giving birth to a preterm newborn. No association was found between MD adherence and SGA.

Early intervention programmes geared towards pregnant women, where women were aided in reaching OA to MD, might reduce the risk of preterm newborn.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are increasingly experiencing the double burden of malnutrition. Studies to identify ‘double-duty’ actions that address both undernutrition and overweight in sub-Saharan Africa are needed. We aimed to identify acceptable behaviours to achieve more optimal feeding and physical activity practices among both under- and overweight children in Rwanda, a sub-Saharan LMIC with one of the largest recent increases in child overweight.

We used the Trials of Improved Practices (TIPs) method. During three household visits over 1·5 weeks, we used structured interviews and unstructured observations to collect data on infant and young child feeding practices and caregivers’ experiences with testing recommended practices.

An urban district and a rural district in Rwanda.

Caregivers with an under- or overweight child from 6 to 59 months of age (n 136).

We identified twenty-five specific recommended practices that caregivers of both under- and overweight children agreed to try. The most frequently recommended practices were related to dietary diversity, food quantity, and hygiene and food handling. The most commonly cited reason for trying a new practice was its benefits to the child’s health and growth. Financial constraints and limited food availability were common barriers. Nearly all caregivers said they were willing to continue the practices and recommend them to others.

These practices show potential for addressing the double burden as part of a broader intervention. Still, further research is needed to determine whether caregivers can maintain the behaviours and their direct impact on both under- and overweight.

The present study aimed to take stock of nutrition interventions that warrant consideration as a minimum package of interventions in Indonesia to improve four key nutrition indicators for adolescents: stunting, thinness, overweight and anaemia.

We conducted a review of the peer-reviewed literature published between 1995 and 2017 on nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions that target adolescents in Indonesia. The search to identify studies was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar and EMBASE, using key search terms. We also explored programmatic and policy documents from the grey literature as they related to adolescents and/or Indonesia. Our search yielded thirty-five peer-reviewed articles and programmatic documents.

Indonesia.

Adolescent girls and boys.

There is very limited evidence on the impact of interventions specifically among adolescents in Indonesia. Nevertheless, findings from our review suggest the minimum package of interventions in Indonesia could include the following nutrition-specifc interventions: (i) iron–folic acid supplements, paired with antihelminths delivered at scale via school-based platforms and through health centres; and (ii) diet counselling and nutrition education provided through school-based platforms, adolescent youth centres/peer education and technology-based platforms. The minimum package could also include the following nutrition-sensitive interventions: (i) improving access to reproductive health services; and (ii) increasing the coverage of interventions designed to increase school attendance.

Programmes and policies targeting adolescent nutrition are relatively new and coverage is low. To improve the nutritional status of this vulnerable population, additional evaluations of adolescent programming and surveillance data on adolescents are needed.