“Translating Adoption of Improved Varieties (Quality Protein Maize) into Nutritional Impact in Rural Ethiopia

Last registered on August 19, 2016

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
“Translating Adoption of Improved Varieties (Quality Protein Maize) into Nutritional Impact in Rural Ethiopia
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0000786
Initial registration date
July 24, 2015

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
July 24, 2015, 9:16 AM EDT

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

Last updated
August 19, 2016, 8:10 AM EDT

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

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Harvard School of Public Health

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
PI Affiliation
CIMMYT
PI Affiliation
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2015-07-25
End date
2017-02-28
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This project is a randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia that evaluates the impact of: a) the provision of Quality Protein Maize (QPM) seed and b) an intervention to target the consumption of QPM to infants and young children. The trial consists of three randomly assigned groups: a control group, a treatment group in which households are given free QPM seed, and a treatment group in which households are given free QPM seed and female caregivers are given additional information about the benefits of QPM for children and receive a specially labeled container for earmarking QPM grain specifically for child consumption. Primary outcomes are child growth (height for age, weight for age and weight for height Z-scores), biomarkers of protein status, and child consumption of QPM. This study is novel in its recognition that adoption alone is not sufficient for agricultural technologies to improve nutrition for vulnerable children and thus evaluates simple interventions targeting key barriers along the pathway from adoption to nutrition.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Cohen, Jessica et al. 2016. "“Translating Adoption of Improved Varieties (Quality Protein Maize) into Nutritional Impact in Rural Ethiopia." AEA RCT Registry. August 19. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.786-3.0
Former Citation
Cohen, Jessica et al. 2016. "“Translating Adoption of Improved Varieties (Quality Protein Maize) into Nutritional Impact in Rural Ethiopia." AEA RCT Registry. August 19. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/786/history/10239
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)
The experimental design consists of two central treatment groups.

In the first treatment group (Adoption Encouragement), households receive a brief message about the nutritional benefits of QPM for young children in particular and an offer of free QPM seed (they may order a total of 3 bags of seed with 2kg of seed in each bag).

In the second treatment group (Consumption Encouragement), households receive a brief message about the nutritional benefits of QPM for young children in particular and an offer of free QPM seed (they may order a total of 3 bags of seed with 2kg of seed in each bag). At baseline, both the head of household and primary caregiver of the youngest child are further informed of the nutritional benefits of QPM specifically for young children. They are also informed that in order for their children to realize the maximum benefits of QPM consumption they must keep QPM grain separate from other grain. The primary caregiver is also given separate storage containers for QPM grain and flour that are labeled with the name of the youngest child.
Intervention Start Date
2015-07-25
Intervention End Date
2016-02-29

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Consumption
• Consumption of any QPM by the index child (measured both in the last 24 hours and in the last week)
• Amount of QPM consumed by the index child in the last 24 hours (grams)
• # of days in the last week that the index child consumed a QPM-based food
• Index child’s proportion of total maize consumption that was QPM in the last 24 hours
• Total caloric intake by index child in the last 24 hours
• Total utilizable protein intake (grams) by index child in the last 24 hours
Cooking
• Number of days in the last week that caregiver cooked a QPM-based food that was primarily for target children
Anthropometrics
• Height-for-age Z-score of index child
• Weight-for-height Z-score of index child
• Weight-for-age Z-score of index child
• Mid-upper arm circumference Z-score of index child
Biomarkers
• Serum transthyretin (continuous measurement)
• Insulin-like growth factor I (continuous measurement)
• Secondary: Serum lysine
• Secondary: Serum tryptophan
Agricultural outcomes
• Hectares of QPM planted
• Amount of QPM reserved for home consumption
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study design consists of three groups: a control group that receives no intervention, a treatment group that receives the Adoption Encouragement intervention and a treatment group that receives both Adoption Encouragement and Consumption Encouragement.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Households and clusters (nutrition groups) are pre-randomized from lists in the office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is both the cluster (women's groups) and the household. The cluster is a women's group formed for the purpose of health outreach by Health Extension workers in Ethiopia. The Adoption Encouragement intervention is randomized at the household level and stratified by kebele. The Consumption Encouragement intervention is randomized at the cluster level and stratified by kebele.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Across the two treatment arms, there are 562 clusters (women's groups). At the time of the intervention launch we do not have enough information to identify clusters in the control arm.
Sample size: planned number of observations
The experimental sample includes a total of 1424 households with 703 of the households included for the collection of biomarkers.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
There are 400 households in the control group, 200 of the households will be included in the subsample for collection of biomarkers.
There are 511 households in the Adoption Encouragement group in 280 clusters. 252 of the households in 252 clusters will be included in the subsample for collection of biomarkers.
There are 513 households in the Adoption and Consumption Encouragement group in 282 clusters. 251 of the households in 251 clusters will be included in the subsample for collection of biomarkers.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard School of Public Health
IRB Approval Date
2014-12-18
IRB Approval Number
IRB14-3255
IRB Name
Ethiopian Public Health Institute
IRB Approval Date
2015-02-09
IRB Approval Number
SERO-006-2-2015

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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

Request Information

Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials