To evaluate the impact of a counselling programme to strengthen the health and nutrition behaviours of caregivers of children under 2 and the sustainability of that impact through reduced intervention intensity one year later.

The programme trained community- and facility-based health staff to provide nutrition counselling. We conducted an impact evaluation with a modified stepped-wedge design using difference-in-differences analysis to compare indicator changes in an intervention group to a comparison group (midterm survey) and then a full intervention group to a light intervention group (final survey).

Batken and Jalal-Abad oblasts, the Kyrgyz Republic, 2020–2023.

Caregivers of children under 2 provided 6253 responses in three telephone surveys.

We observed statistically significant differences between the intervention and comparison groups at midterm for the percentage of children consuming vitamin A-rich foods; an increase in the intervention group (58–62 %) and a decrease in the comparison group (61–57 %). We observed similar results with exclusive breastfeeding (51–55 % in the intervention group and 48–40 % in the comparison group). There were also positive differences in other health and nutrition indicators. With the final survey results, in general, we observed statistically significant differences indicating a bigger change in full intervention areas compared to light intervention areas. We observed small negative changes in many indicators in light intervention areas.

This evaluation highlights the importance of continued support for local interventions, particularly counselling programmes, to foster optimal nutrition behaviours.