Impacts of Early Childhood Nutrition and Maternal Mental Health Interventions on Child Health and Development

Last registered on March 01, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Impacts of Early Childhood Nutrition and Maternal Mental Health Interventions on Child Health and Development
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0012837
Initial registration date
February 16, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 26, 2024, 10:19 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
March 01, 2024, 9:16 PM EST

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information

Primary Investigator

Name
Joan Martinez
Affiliation
UC Berkeley
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Catherine Thomas
PI Affiliation
University of Michigan
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Paloma Bellatin
PI Affiliation
The Behavioural Insights Team
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Carolina Toth
PI Affiliation
The Behavioural Insights Team
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Mayra Cabrera
PI Affiliation
The Behavioural Insights Team
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-03-01
End date
2025-06-30
Keywords
Behavior, Gender, Health, Labor
Additional Keywords
Mental Health, Early Childhood Investments, Human capital investments
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The well-being of mothers is linked to quality parenting and early-childhood investments. According to research, many parents struggle to adopt new parenting habits that promote child health and development. New parents endure more stress and anxiety in the months after childbirth, making maternal mental health crucial to parental welfare. Can reliable information about early childhood nutrition, maternal well-being, and mental health affect early childhood investments and child health? Is the cognitive and psychological load of finding reliable caregiving practices reduced for parents when they have access to reliable information? This study makes progress on these research questions by establishing the effects of a caregiver assistance program that offers information on best practices for child health and nutrition and psychosocial interventions designed to enhance engagement in these practices and maternal well-being.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Bellatin, Paloma et al. 2024. "Impacts of Early Childhood Nutrition and Maternal Mental Health Interventions on Child Health and Development ." AEA RCT Registry. March 01. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.12837-1.1
Sponsors & Partners

There is information in this trial unavailable to the public. Use the button below to request access.

Request Information
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This study implements an automated caregiver assistance program targeting households with mothers and caregivers of children aged 3–9 months in urban areas covered by Peru's National Cash Transfer Program, all of whom possess cell phones. Participants will be randomized into various versions of a WhatsApp Chat Box delivering distinct 12-week modules. The first treatment arm focuses on narrative nutrition contents emphasizing children's health and parenting, drawing from behavioral science, edutainment, and Wise interventions. The second treatment arm addresses mental health, offering content designed to reduce anxiety and stress and promote emotional well-being among mothers and caregivers. The third treatment arm is a cross-randomization combining information from both previous treatment arms.
Intervention Start Date
2024-03-01
Intervention End Date
2024-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Children’s (6-12 months at baseline) hemoglobin levels (anemia and nutrition)
Parental (mother or caregiver) mental health (Depression, Anxiety)
Children’s (0-12 months at baseline) preschool enrollment at ages 3 to 5
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Self-reported parental nutrition and health behaviors toward children (breastfeeding, nutrition, handwashing, iron supplementation; both cohorts)
Children’s compliance to medical check ups (both cohorts)
Vaccination adherence
Medical appointment adherence
Parental (mother or caregiver) knowledge about infants’ health and nutrition
Parental emotional well-being (self-efficacy)
Social norm perceptions and attitudes (problem-solving mindset)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is a two-arm cross-randomized control trial. It will involve four groups: the first treatment group will receive an active intervention focused on children's health and parenting modules twice a week (Group A). The second treatment group will receive modules on improving parental mental health practices once a week (Group B). A third group (Group AB) will receive both sets of modules, totaling three sessions per week. The control group will receive standard government-approved documents on nutrition and health practices once a week, along with healthy recipes (Business as Usual). Surveys will be conducted at three points: baseline (week 1), midpoint (week 7), and endline (week 12) for all intervention groups.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
After consent disclosure and primary information data (non-PPI), computer-generated pseudo-random numbers will assign mother or caregiver participants to treatment or control groups. The randomization algorithm is programmed into the chatbot flow in the back end of the chatbot platform.
Randomization Unit
Mother or primary caregiver participant
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
70,000 mothers or primary caregivers
Sample size: planned number of observations
17,500 mothers or primary caregivers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
N/A
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
With an accuracy rate of 80%, we can effectively determine that a change of 0.15 standard deviations in dimension has an impact on the primary outcomes.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB Approval Date
IRB Approval Number
Analysis Plan