Peer-reviewed article
Effect of a Facility-Based Nutrition Education Intervention on Nutritional Status of Children Aged 6–23 Months: A Longitudinal Quasi-Experimental Study in Nyeri County, Kenya
LA Omondi, JK Mutai, SM Kilonzi, AO Makokha ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5This study tested whether adding structured nutrition education sessions at health facilities could improve the growth of young children in Kenya. Mothers at one hospital received three group sessions with food demonstrations over nine months, while mothers at another hospital received usual care. Researchers measured children's weight and height at four points over nine months. The children whose mothers got the extra education showed a slightly bigger drop in wasting, but this difference was not statistically significant, and there was no significant effect on underweight or stunting either.
Key points
- 451 mother-child pairs were enrolled (220 intervention, 231 control), with 360 retained after nine months
- Wasting fell from 7.3% to 4.1% in the intervention group versus 8.5% to 8.3% in the control group, a net effect of -3.0 percentage points
- Statistical modelling (GEE) found no significant effect of the intervention on wasting (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.94-1.09, p=0.73), underweight, or stunting
- The two study arms were similar in nutritional status at the start
- Authors conclude nutrition education alone is not enough and should be paired with other supports like food security, water and sanitation, and social protection
Limitations
The study only covered two hospitals in one Kenyan county, so results may not apply elsewhere, and the non-random assignment of intervention versus control sites could introduce bias.
Abstract
Childhood malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries, contributing substantially to morbidity and mortality among children under five. Although nutrition education is widely promoted to improve infant and young child feeding practices, evidence on its effects when delivered through routine health services in Kenya over a nine-month period remains limited. This study evaluated the effect of a structured facility-based nutrition education intervention comprising interactive group sessions with practical food demonstrations on the nutritional status of children aged 6-23 months in Nyeri County, Kenya. A longitudinal quasi-experimental study was conducted between May 2021 and March 2022 in two purposively selected Level IV hospitals (Karatina, intervention; Othaya, control). A total of 451 mothers, each paired with one child (220 intervention, 231 control), were enrolled and followed for nine months (360 retained). Mothers in the intervention arm attended three quarterly sessions of about 60-75 minutes, each pairing interactive learning with hands-on food demonstrations using locally available ingredients and content drawn from the Kenya Ministry of Health Infant and Young Child Nutrition counselling cards. Mothers in the control arm received the facility's routine maternal and child health education. Children's anthropometry was measured at baseline and at 3, 6, and 9 months, and weight-for-length, weight-for-age, and length-for-age Z-scores were derived against the WHO Child Growth Standards to classify wasting, underweight, and stunting. Because each child was measured repeatedly, intervention effects were assessed primarily using generalized estimating equations (GEE) modelling the arm × time interaction, supported by prevalence changes, net intervention effects, and chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, with significance set at 5%. The two arms were comparable in nutritional status at baseline. By nine months, the prevalence of wasting declined from 7.3% to 4.1% in the intervention arm compared with 8.5% to 8.3% in the control arm (net intervention effect − 3.0 percentage points). Generalized estimating equations that accounted for repeated measures within children showed no statistically significant arm × time interactions for wasting (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.94–1.09, p = 0.73), underweight or stunting. A structured facility-based nutrition education programme integrating food demonstrations was associated with a favourable but non-significant reduction in wasting over the nine-month period. Nutrition education should be strengthened alongside nutrition-sensitive interventions, including improved household food security, water, sanitation and hygiene, and social protection programmes, to achieve sustained improvements in child nutritional status. Key words:nutrition education; facility-based; child nutritional status; quasi-experimental study; net-effect intervention; generalized estimating equations; Nyeri; Kenya
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Facility-based nutrition education with three quarterly interactive group sessions including hands-on food demonstrations using local ingredients, based on Kenya Ministry of Health counselling materials
- Population
- Children aged 6-23 months and their mothers attending Level IV hospitals in Nyeri County, Kenya
Key finding
Wasting declined more in the intervention group (7.3% to 4.1%) than control (8.5% to 8.3%), a net effect of -3.0 percentage points
Omondi et al. · OpenAlex · 8 Sept 2026