Linking Microcredit, Technology, and Promotion of IYCF Breastfeeding Guidelines in Bauchi State, Nigeria

The University of North Carolina (UNC) and Partners for Development (PFD), an American non-governmental organization, will conduct a 2-year cluster-randomized controlled trial in Bauchi State, Nigeria, to test the effectiveness of two behavior change strategies for increasing the proportion of participants who exclusively breastfeed their infants until 6 months. The investigators will build upon PFD's existing microcredit and reproductive health program by adding face-to-face breastfeeding education during borrowers' meetings and bi-weekly cell phone breastfeeding messages. The hypothesis is that the control group will remain at the baseline level for exclusive breastfeeding to 6 months, while the intervention group will increase by 15%. The investigators will measure the effectiveness of the intervention by conducting baseline and final surveys with a cohort of 485 female borrowers who are pregnant at time 1 and who have a 6-month-old infant at time 2. The data will be analyzed using logistic regression adjusting for possible confounders and the effect of clustering.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Breast Feeding Exclusive; Initiation of Breastfeeding
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Breastfeeding promotion intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 485
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 15 years to 45 years (Child, Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participation in a microcredit borrower group sponsored by Partners for Development in Bauchi, Dass, or Ganjuwa Local Government Authority in Bauchi State, Nigeria
• Female (15-45 years)
• Pregnant at baseline

Exclusion Criteria:

• Female (<15 years)
• Not pregnant

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Breastfeeding promotion intervention; Intervention: Group breastfeeding counseling during monthly microcredit borrower group meetings; Weekly cell phone messages about breastfeeding	Behavioral: Breastfeeding promotion intervention; Breastfeeding counseling during monthly microcredit meetings; Weekly cell phone messages about breastfeeding
No Intervention: No intervention; The no intervention group will participate in their regular microcredit borrower group meetings, but will not receive breastfeeding counseling or cell phone messages.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed to 6 months	The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed for 0-1 month	The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Proportion of women who exclusively breastfeed for 2-3 months	The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth	The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.
Proportion of infants who receive pre-lacteal feeds	The outcome will be measured when the infant is 6-7 months old.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: University of California, Davis; Partners for Development; The Alive & Thrive Small Grants
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Margaret E. Bentley, PhD, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Principal Investigator: Valerie L. Flax, PhD, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Principal Investigator: Mekebeb Negerie, DrPH, Partners for Development/Nigeria

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Flax VL, Negerie M, Ibrahim AU, Leatherman S, Daza EJ, Bentley ME. Integrating group counseling, cell phone messaging, and participant-generated songs and dramas into a microcredit program increases Nigerian women's adherence to international breastfeeding recommendations. J Nutr. 2014 Jul;144(7):1120-4. doi: 10.3945/jn.113.190124. Epub 2014 May 8.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2011
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 10, 2011
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 10, 2011
• First Posted (Estimate): May 11, 2011

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 8, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 6, 2013
• Last Verified: February 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Breast feeding Exclusive; Initiation of breastfeeding
• Other Study ID Numbers: 11-0534