Evidence

Evidence on children's well-being, problem first.

Every finding is tied to a defined problem for children, the intervention that claims to solve it, and its type of design. Open any card to compare the same intervention across countries.

89 evidence items · page 1 of 8

Survival

Problem

Child stunting (low length-for-age) during the first 1000 days of life

Intervention: PROCOMIDA food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition program: family food rations of varying size plus individual rations (corn-soy blend, lipid-based nutrient supplement or micronutrient powder) for mothers from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum and children aged 6-24 months
Population: Children aged 1-24 months and their mothers in Guatemala (about 575 per group across six groups)

Key finding

Stunting reduced at 1 month by 5.05 pp (FFR + CSB), 4.06 pp (RFR + CSB) and 3.82 pp (FFR + MNP) versus control

Experimental

Olney et al. · OpenAlex · 21 Jun 2018

Survival

Problem

High prevalence of stunting among children under five in rural Timor-Leste

Intervention: A six-month participatory, co-designed programme combining responsive feeding counselling, agricultural homestead food production, micronutrient supplementation and community health worker capacity building
Population: 64 households with children aged 6 to 59 months in Ermera, Ainaro and Manufahi subdistricts, Timor-Leste

Key finding

Stunting prevalence in the intervention group fell from 73.4% to 51.6%.

Experimental

Silva et al. · OpenAlex · 30 Nov 2023

SurvivalDevelopment

Problem

Extreme household poverty affecting children's material, relational and subjective well-being

Intervention: Two cash transfer programmes, including additional conditional payments linked to schooling
Population: Children and their families in two cash transfer programmes in Pakistan, among them extremely poor families

Key finding

Helped extremely poor families sustain basic dietary needs

Practitioner

Hussain et al. · OpenAlex · 4 Sept 2021

SurvivalDevelopmentProtection

Problem

Uneven child well-being outcomes (health, education, protection) in Central Kalimantan

Intervention: Implementation of the Child-Friendly City (CFC) program, an approach combining integrated governance and rights-based development
Population: Children in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, across regions implementing the CFC program

Key finding

Improvements in health indicators, particularly reduced stunting and infant mortality

Practitioner

Sriwahyuni et al. · OpenAlex · 17 Jun 2026

SurvivalDevelopment

Problem

Children in disadvantaged US households have poorer education, health and family outcomes, and it is not well understood how safety net policy changes affect them in the short and long run.

Intervention: 1990s US welfare reform (state waivers and the TANF program), studied for effects on children's test scores, adult education, family structure, health insurance, healthcare use and health status.
Population: US children from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement, followed into adulthood through age 28 using the Transition to Adulthood Supplement.

Key finding

Reading test scores were higher by about 6 percent of a standard deviation, and college graduation was 9 percent more likely, with larger effects for women.

Practitioner

Vaughn · OpenAlex · 30 Jul 2019

SurvivalDevelopment

BHEGAUCNIE

Problem

Iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia affecting cognitive and school outcomes in school-age children

Intervention: Iron supplementation
Population: School-age children in randomized trials included in a 2023 meta-analysis cited by the review

Key finding

Iron supplementation improved intelligence among school-age children.

Experimental

Amini et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 7 Oct 2026

SurvivalProtection

Problem

Stunting among children in Sukamantri Village, linked to health, nutrition, caregiving and environmental factors

Intervention: Participatory empowerment of PKK cadres through GERDARA and the establishment of the Pos Sahabat Aman (problem identification, education, cadre participation, mentoring, evaluation and sustainability planning)
Population: 28 PKK cadres from seven hamlets in Sukamantri Village, Indonesia

Key finding

GERDARA implementation scored 92.50% (very good)

Practitioner

Rahmiati et al. · OpenAlex · 8 Oct 2026

SurvivalDevelopmentParticipation

Problem

Recurrent epilepsy in a child despite antiepileptic treatment, with effects on sleep, self-esteem, school participation, social life and family confidence

Intervention: Individualised nursing care based on Roy's Adaptation Model, delivered in weekly 45-minute sessions with parental participation over six weeks, with weekly telephone follow-up and seizure diary monitoring
Population: One 8-year-old boy with recurrent epilepsy and his parents, in a pediatric ward in Iran

Key finding

Seizure frequency fell from approximately four to fewer than two episodes per month.

Practitioner

Khoshbash et al. · OpenAlex · 8 Oct 2026

SurvivalProtection

Problem

Tobacco use and smoking among students, and exposure to smoking at school, in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools

Intervention: Statewide laws banning tobacco use by students, staff and visitors anywhere on public school grounds
Population: Students, teachers and other school staff in U.S. states that did and did not adopt statewide school tobacco bans

Key finding

Statewide school smoking bans were found to have little impact on smoking behaviour.

Experimental

Bhatt et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 5 Oct 2026

DevelopmentSurvivalProtection

Problem

Limited father involvement in parenting and weaker nurturing care, early learning, feeding practices and maternal wellbeing in families with young children

Intervention: Familia Bora, a couples-based parenting program for mothers and fathers delivered in six communities (July-November 2024)
Population: Mothers of young children taking part with their partners in six communities in Mwanza, Tanzania; 22 mothers in endline interviews, 15 of them also interviewed at baseline

Key finding

Mothers reported improvements in all domains explored: parenting practices, gender roles and attitudes, couples' relationships, maternal mental health and complementary feeding.

Pre/post

Lambert et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 6 Oct 2026

Survival

Problem

Pediatricians in general practice are not consistently putting the AAP's climate-informed care recommendations into practice, even though children are especially vulnerable to climate-related health risks.

Intervention: A short educational session plus a Climate-Informed Pediatric Care toolkit of resources for clinicians.
Population: Clinicians in seven community pediatric practices within the Dartmouth Health system (United States).

Key finding

Overall confidence in having climate-informed conversations with patients improved after the intervention.

Pre/post

Anderson et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 7 Oct 2026

Survival

Problem

Persistent oxidative stress in children with sickle cell anaemia, which contributes to haemolysis, endothelial dysfunction and complications

Intervention: Hydroxyurea therapy, compared with no hydroxyurea
Population: 110 children aged 2-17 years with sickle cell anaemia attending Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria

Key finding

No significant differences in most oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzymes, antioxidant vitamins or total antioxidant capacity between users and non-users.

Practitioner

Amoo et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 7 Oct 2026

Evidence on children's well-being, problem first.

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Evidence on children's well-being, problem first.