Integrating economic and educational intervention activities in the ENAM project leads to improved child nutritional status in rural Ghana

Abstract

Animal source foods (ASF) are excellent sources of micronutrients that are essential for growth and development of young children. In sub‐Saharan Africa, children's typical diets are based on starchy staples and little ASF, contributing to high rates of child malnutrition. The Enhancing Child Nutrition through Animal Source Food Management (ENAM) project identified constraints to the availability, accessibility, and utilization of ASF in the diets of young children (2‐5 y) in Ghana. Based on the identified constraints, an intervention involving micro‐credit and nutrition and entrepreneurial education with 180 caregivers of young children was implemented in six communities in three agro‐ecological zones; 287 households in matched communities were chosen as controls. Child height and weight were measured at baseline and every 4 mo. Children from intervention households showed a greater increase in height‐for‐age Z‐score over the course of the 16‐month study than children from control households (0.3 ± 0.6 vs. 0.1 ± 0.4 Z‐score; p<0.05). There were no between‐group differences in weight‐for‐height or weight‐for‐age Z‐scores. An integrated intervention that addresses barriers to availability, accessibility, and utilization of ASF can improve child nutrition. Funding: GL‐CRSP, funded in part by USAID, Grant # PCE‐G‐00‐98‐00036‐00.