Evaluating the Flourish Community Health Worker Program to Reduce Child Malnutrition in Philippine Low-Income Communities

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a new community health worker program called Flourish implemented by International Care Ministries in the Philippines. This program builds on their existing Transform poverty alleviation effort, which supports households living in extreme poverty with health and livelihood education over 15 weeks. The study aims to measure how Flourish impacts acute childhood malnutrition in low-income and hard-to-reach households. The trial randomly assigns 170 communities into two groups one group receives both Transform and Flourish programs, while the other receives Transform alone. The Flourish program trains community health workers selected from Transform participants to provide health screening, counseling, referrals, and malnutrition treatment to households. Community health workers use mobile phones to assist with screening and data collection, serving both savings group members and additional nominated households. Participants undergo a baseline survey in July 2023 and an endline survey in February-March 2025, 18 months after enrollment. The endline includes child measurements such as weight, height, and arm circumference to assess malnutrition. Children identified with malnutrition in the Flourish group receive follow-up and treatment from community health workers, while those in the control group are referred to local health services. The study evaluates differences in malnutrition rates between groups to assess the programs impact.

The Impact of Community Health Workers on Child Malnutrition in the Philippines