Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya

Elijah Njeru Mbiti; Dominic M. Mogere; Alfred Owino Odongo

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya

Elijah Njeru Mbiti, Dominic M. Mogere, Alfred Owino Odongo

Published in Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)

Received: 1 June 2023 Accepted: 16 June 2023 Published: 27 June 2023

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Abstract

Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.

Published in	Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences (Volume 11, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
Page(s)	98-106
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge, Vitamin A, Behaviour Change Communication, Caregivers

References

[1]	Abdulmalek, L. J., Benkhaial, F, S. (2018). Knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents regarding vitamin a supplementation to children in Benghazi, Libya. Ibnosina J Med Biomed Sci. 2018; 10 (5): 174–177.
[2]	Kananu, N. C. (2021). Knowledge levels on Vitamin A among caregivers of children 12-59 months in Gatunga ward, Tharaka Nithi County. International Academic Journal of Health, Medicine, and Nursing 2, 173-185.
[3]	Kassa, G., Mesfin, A., Gebremedhin, S. (2020). Uptake of routine Vitamin A Supplementation for children in Humbo District, Southern Ethiopia. BMC Public Health 20, 1500 (2020). Https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09617-1
[4]	Kenya Health Information System, 2019. Ministry of Health, Kenya.
[5]	Kenya Health Information System, 2020. Ministry of Health, Kenya.
[6]	Kulwa, K. B., Verstraeten, R., Bouckaert, K. P., Mamiro, P. S., Kolsteren, P. W., Lachat, C. (2014). Effectiveness of a nutrition education package in improving feeding practices, dietary adequacy and growth of infants and young children in rural Tanzania: rationale, design, and methods of a cluster randomised trial. BMC Public Health, 14 (1077), 1-16.
[7]	Magnani Robert (1997). Sampling guide, Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project. Academy for Education Development. www.fantaproject.org
[8]	Nigusse, T., & Gebretsadik A. (2021). Vitamin A Supplementation Coverage and Ocular Signs among Children Aged 6–59 Months in Aleta Chuko Woreda, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism Volume 2021, Article ID 8878703, 10 pages. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/8878703
[9]	NIMS-Nutrition Intervention Monitoring System, (2020). Maternal Newborn, Child and adolescent Health and Nutrition interventions at select counties in Kenya, 2020.
[10]	NIMS-Nutrition Intervention Monitoring System, (2021). Maternal Newborn, Child and adolescent Health and Nutrition interventions at select counties in Kenya, 2021.
[11]	Njue, M. W., Makokha, A. O., Mutai, J. K. (2010). Vitamin a supplementation awareness among mothers of children under five years old at Mbagathi District hospital, Nairobi, Kenya. East Afr J Public Health. 2010; 7 (3): 233–41.
[12]	Prajapati, A., Solanki, A., Sonaliya, K. N. (2015). Knowledge Attitudes and Practice among mothers of pre-school children regarding VAS at field practice area of GCS Medical College, Ahmedabad. India Health journal Vol 6 Issue 2 (July-Dec 2015).
[13]	UNICEF. (2013). Improving child nutrition: The achievable imperative for global progress. New York, USA: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
[14]	UNICEF. (2020). Monitoring the situation of children and women. https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/vitamin-a-deficiency.
[15]	White S. (2018). Effectiveness of the planned teaching program on VAS knowledge among mothers of under five children. Paripex- Indian Journal of research Vol 7/Issue -10/October 2018/ISSN – 2250-1991/IF. 6.761/IC value: 86.18.
[16]	WHO Guideline. (2011): Vitamin A supplementation in infants and children 6–59 months of age. Geneva: World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2011.
[17]	Zhao, T., Liu, S., Zhang, R., Zhao, Z., Yu, H., Pu, L., Wang, L., Han, L. (2022). Global Burden of Vitamin A Deficiency in 204 Countries and Territories from 1990–2019 Nutrients 2022, 14, 950. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14050950.

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APA Style

Elijah Njeru Mbiti, Dominic M. Mogere, Alfred Owino Odongo. (2023). Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 11(3), 98-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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ACS Style

Elijah Njeru Mbiti; Dominic M. Mogere; Alfred Owino Odongo. Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2023, 11(3), 98-106. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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AMA Style

Elijah Njeru Mbiti, Dominic M. Mogere, Alfred Owino Odongo. Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. J Food Nutr Sci. 2023;11(3):98-106. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16,
  author = {Elijah Njeru Mbiti and Dominic M. Mogere and Alfred Owino Odongo},
  title = {Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya},
  journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {98-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20231103.16},
  abstract = {Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.},
 year = {2023}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya
AU  - Elijah Njeru Mbiti
AU  - Dominic M. Mogere
AU  - Alfred Owino Odongo
Y1  - 2023/06/27
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
SP  - 98
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7293
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
AB  - Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Elijah Njeru Mbiti

School of Public Health, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
Dominic M. Mogere

School of Public Health, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya
Alfred Owino Odongo

School of Public Health, Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya

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Elijah Njeru Mbiti, Dominic M. Mogere, Alfred Owino Odongo. (2023). Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences, 11(3), 98-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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ACS Style

Elijah Njeru Mbiti; Dominic M. Mogere; Alfred Owino Odongo. Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. J. Food Nutr. Sci. 2023, 11(3), 98-106. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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AMA Style

Elijah Njeru Mbiti, Dominic M. Mogere, Alfred Owino Odongo. Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya. J Food Nutr Sci. 2023;11(3):98-106. doi: 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16

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@article{10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16,
  author = {Elijah Njeru Mbiti and Dominic M. Mogere and Alfred Owino Odongo},
  title = {Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya},
  journal = {Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences},
  volume = {11},
  number = {3},
  pages = {98-106},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jfns.20231103.16},
  abstract = {Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.},
 year = {2023}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya
AU  - Elijah Njeru Mbiti
AU  - Dominic M. Mogere
AU  - Alfred Owino Odongo
Y1  - 2023/06/27
PY  - 2023
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
T2  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JF  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
JO  - Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences
SP  - 98
EP  - 106
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7293
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jfns.20231103.16
AB  - Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.
VL  - 11
IS  - 3
ER  -

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