Bahir Dar

Researchers are evaluating the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Toolkit to improve nutrition for mothers and infants in Amhara, Ethiopia. Undernutrition remains a significant issue in Ethiopia, with many women underweight and a high rate of low birth weight and stunting in children. This study aims to assess how integrating the toolkit into routine antenatal care can benefit maternal nutrition and infant growth during pregnancy and the first 6 months of life, building on previous tests of the toolkit in several countries. The study compares the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Toolkit, which includes a customized bowl with food intake markings for pregnancy and breastfeeding, a spoon for checking infant meal thickness, and a counseling card on meal frequency and nutrition, against the standard care provided by the Ethiopian government and Saving Little Lives Initiative. Standard care includes nutrition education, iron and folic acid supplements, and Kangaroo Mother Care training for low birth weight or preterm infants. The toolkit is delivered during pregnancy and early postpartum to support key growth periods. Participants will be followed from pregnancy until their infant is at least 10 months old. Researchers will monitor maternal weight gain during pregnancy and infant birth weight. The study includes assessments of nutrition education effectiveness, counseling strategies, and potential for wider adoption. Women with pregnancy complications or prior high-risk pregnancies are excluded to ensure clear evaluation of the toolkit's effects.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common mental health condition that can occur after childbirth, particularly affecting teenage mothers in low-income settings. This trial focuses on Ethiopian first-time teenage mothers aged 13 to 19 years to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a childbirth education program based on salutogenic and self-efficacy theories. The study aims to improve mothers' psychological well-being and reduce the risk of postpartum depression, which is notably higher among teenage mothers in Ethiopia compared to the global average. The intervention includes six sessions: three during pregnancy and three after birth. These sessions consist of two individual face-to-face education meetings lasting 60 to 90 minutes each, two phone calls of 30 minutes each, and two group discussions lasting 90 to 120 minutes. The control group will receive the usual maternity care available at the selected hospitals. The education program is designed to strengthen mothers' ability to cope with the challenges of new motherhood through enhancing their sense of coherence and parenting self-efficacy. Participants will be assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at six weeks postpartum to measure depression symptoms. The study involves follow-up for at least 12 weeks after delivery. Throughout the trial, data on mothers' mental health, social support, and parenting confidence will be collected. This trial seeks to inform future large-scale interventions that integrate mental health support into maternity care services in similar low-income settings.