Improving Severe Acute Malnutrition Treatment for Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years Using Community Health Promoters and Digital Tools in Turkana County, Kenya

What this Trial Is About

Child wasting is a serious type of malnutrition where children become too thin, increasing their risk of illness and death. Many children with severe wasting do not currently receive proper treatment. This study evaluates whether empowering community health promoters CHPs with digital tools and training can improve the identification and treatment of severely wasted children in Kenya. The trial uses a randomized controlled design to compare areas with and without the intervention over two years. The intervention package, called SWITCH, includes digitized household registration, reminders for CHPs to visit households, training caregivers on measuring mid-upper arm circumference MUAC, and community-level screening for weight and weight-for-age every two months. CHPs also receive tools to monitor childrens growth and follow up on those missing treatment consultations. The intervention aims to increase treatment coverage by improving screening and follow-up processes. Participants include children aged 6 months to 5 years in 40 community units, with half receiving the SWITCH intervention. Researchers assess treatment coverage and malnutrition prevalence at baseline and after two years. They also evaluate the programs reach, challenges, perceptions, and costs through surveys, interviews, and observations. The study measures outcomes such as severe wasting treatment coverage and growth indicators, with a total participation period of two years for monitoring and evaluation.

Expanding Coverage of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) Treatment in Kenya