Comparison of Child Nutritional Status Between Positive Deviance/Hearth (PD/Hearth) Intervention and Non-Intervention Areas in Jeju District, Arsi Zone, Oromia Regional State

Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Nutritional Science, grade: Good, Hawassa University (Institute of Nutrition, Food Science and Technology), language: English, abstract: World Vision Ethiopia had implemented a two years Essential Nutrition Promotion (ENP) Project, using the Positive Deviance/Hearth (PD Hearth) approach, in two Kebeles of Jeju District from June 2007 to September 2009. The PD Hearth approach identifies those behaviors practiced by the mothers or caretakers of well-nourished children from poor families and transfers such positive practices to others in the community with malnourished children. The study investigated whether there are improvements sustained three years after the program was terminated. A Cross-sectional survey was administered to a total of 249 children, 123 of them randomly selected from two Kebeles that had previously participated in the program and 126 children from a neighboring comparison two Kebeles. All the sample children 6-59 months of age were measured, and mothers of children under 24 months interviewed. The children born after the completion of the program in the intervention area were significantly better nourished than those in the comparison area, with adjusted mean weight-for-age Z scores of -0.963 versus -1.308 (p < 0.05), respectively. More intervention area mothers of under 24 months children were currently breastfeeding, at the time (100%) as compared with comparison area mothers (94.2%, p < 0.05). Frequency of complementary feeding to the 6-24 months children was better among the intervention area mothers as compared to their counterparts, 4.24 versus 3.83 per day, respectively (p < 0.05). Intervention area mothers reported that they often washed their hands before feeding their children (97.6% vs. 89.4%, p < 0.05). More intervention area mothers (97.0%) also reported that their family members use pit latrines rather than open defecation as compared to the comparison families (89.3%) (p < 0.05). The PD behaviors practiced through the hearth sessions might have sustained years after program completion, and might have contributed to better nutritional status of the children.