Saving Brain in Uganda and Burkina Faso

Between 2006 and 2008 we carried out a cluster randomized study (PROMISE-EBF) to establish the effect of individual home based peer counselling on exclusive breast feeding (EBF). The results, published in the Lancet in 2011 were remarkable(Tylleskar T, et al). The PROMISE-EBF trial which compared mothers in the intervention arm that were offered at least 5 peer-visits promoting EBF to mothers in the control arm, that received the standard of care showed a doubling in the prevalence of EBF in the intervention arm. Community-based peer counsellors increased the EBF rate in Uganda and Burkina Faso from about 40% to 80%.

The current study will trace and re-enrol at least 70% of the children involved in the PROMISE-EBF study. These children are now aged between 5 and 7 years.

The primary objective of the current study is to evaluate the effect of peer-counselling for EBF in the first six months of life on human capital formation among children in Uganda and Burkina Faso.

This study will contribute to a crucial wider discussion on external validity regarding the relationship between EBF and intellectual performance and mental health. In the social area, this study will identify solutions to potential barriers that limit scale up for peer-counselling for EBF. From the business perspective, the study will identify the best business model for affordable, acceptable and cost effective ways of delivering peer counselling for EBF in Burkina Faso and Uganda. If this intervention is found effective, and is adopted, it could improve productivity in adulthood and work towards breaking the cycle of poverty.