Impact Evaluation of WFP's Fresh Food Voucher Pilot Programme in Ethiopia

NCT ID: NCT03590717

Last Updated: 2019-02-26

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 574 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2018-06-27
• Study Completion Date: 2018-12-31

Brief Summary

To assess the impact of WFP's Fresh Food Voucher Pilot Programme in Ethiopia on children's and mother's diets

Detailed Description

Rationale: Infants, young children and adult women in rural Ethiopia consume one of the least diversified diets in the world. The World Food Programme's Fresh Food Voucher (FFV) Pilot Programme aims to improve dietary diversity among infants and young children and their mothers. The focus on these demographic groups is based on the now well-established theory on the importance of the 'first 1,000 days'. This period, spanning the pregnancy and the first 2 years of child's life, is considered critical for child's physical growth and cognitive development. The beneficiary households receive a voucher that can be used to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and certain animal source foods).

Objective: The main objectives of the evaluation are to assess and report on the performance and results of the FFV programme to help WFP present high-quality and credible evidence of actual impact to its donors. In addition, the evaluation will determine the reasons why certain results occurred (or not) to draw lessons, derive good practices and pointers for learning.

Study design: This is a mixed methods evaluation that combines a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) with Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with caregivers and food traders. The RCT contains three arms. The first treatment arm receives a smaller voucher (roughly $12-17) and social behavioural change communication (SBCC). The second treatment arm receives a larger voucher (roughly $21-23) and SBCC. Households in the third study arm (control) receive SBCC but do not receive vouchers. A cluster in this impact evaluation is defined as a village (got in Amharic) and these clusters of are randomly allocated to the different arms of the trial. Within a cluster, all eligible households will receive the same treatment.

Study population: All households with a child between 6-17 months at the baseline in December 2017 were eligible to be included in the quantitative sample.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The main outcomes of interest are minimum acceptable diet score for children 6- 23 months (World Health Organization, 2008) and minimum diet diversity for women of reproductive age (FAO & FHI-360, 2016).

Conditions

Diet; Deficiency; Malnutrition

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

BCC-Only

Intervention: Households in the 'BCC-only' arm receive SBCC but do not receive vouchers.

Group Type: OTHER

BCC-Only

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Households in the 'BCC-only' arm receive SBCC but do not receive vouchers.

Small-voucher

Intervention: Households in the 'Small-voucher' arm receive a voucher (\~$12-17) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Small-voucher

Intervention Type: OTHER

Households in the 'Small-voucher' arm receive a voucher (\~$12-17) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Large-voucher

Intervention: Households in the 'Large-voucher' arm receive a larger voucher (\~$21-23) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Large-voucher

Intervention Type: OTHER

Households in the 'Large-voucher' arm receive a larger voucher (\~$21-23) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Interventions

BCC-Only

Households in the 'BCC-only' arm receive SBCC but do not receive vouchers.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Small-voucher

Households in the 'Small-voucher' arm receive a voucher (\~$12-17) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Large-voucher

Households in the 'Large-voucher' arm receive a larger voucher (\~$21-23) every month that entitles them to purchase fresh foods (fruits, vegetables and animal sourced foods). The households in this arm also receive the same social behavioural change communication (SBCC) messages as the 'BCC-only' arm.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Households with young children aged 6-17 months age at the baseline in December 2017.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 6 Months
• Maximum Eligible Age: 17 Months
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Addis Ababa University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

International Food Policy Research Institute

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Kalle Hirvonen

Research Fellow

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Kalle Hirvonen, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

International Food Policy Research Institute, Ethiopia

Kaleab Baye, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Center for Food Science and Nutrition, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Locations

Kalle Hirvonen

Addis Ababa, , Ethiopia

Countries

Ethiopia

Other Identifiers

699013

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id