Debre Birhan

The trial investigates the double burden of malnutrition, which includes both undernutrition and overnutrition, in children under five years old in Debre Berhan City, Ethiopia. This issue poses a significant public health challenge, especially in developing countries undergoing nutritional transitions. The study aims to assess the impact of integrated double-duty interventions that address both forms of malnutrition simultaneously through nutrition behavior change communication. The study is a one-year, two-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled trial involving 456 children aged 2 to 5 years. Participants are divided into two groups one receiving a double-duty intervention package and the other not receiving the intervention. The intervention focuses on promoting minimum dietary diversity, avoiding harm from high-energy foods, and managing market foods from the consumers perspective. Participants will be monitored over 10 months for outcomes including the proportion of children with double burden of malnutrition, dietary diversity scores, and frequency of illness. The study will also evaluate maternal nutritional status. Data collection includes assessing nutrition behaviors and health status to understand the interventions effect. The total study period spans from April 2023 to December 2023, with safety and progress monitored throughout.