Behavior Change, Egg Consumption, and Child Nutrition: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Objectives: Malnutrition is a significant contributor to child morbidity and mortality globally. Egg consumption has been associated with improved child nutrition yet is rare in rural, resource-poor settings. We test the effects of a culturally tailored behavior change intervention to increase child egg consumption.

Methods: A 3-arm cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in rural Burkina Faso with 260 mother-child dyads. Children aged 4 to 17 months from 18 villages were included; those with reported history of malnutrition or egg allergy were excluded. Each child in the full intervention arm received 4 chickens, and mothers received the 10-month behavior change package. Participants in the partial intervention arm received only the behavior change package.

Results: In this analysis of 250 children, the full (β = 4.3; = 6.6 × 10) and the partial (β = 1.0; = .02) interventions significantly increased egg consumption. The full intervention also significantly increased poultry production (β = 11.6; 95% confidence interval 8.3-15; = 1.1 × 10) and women's decision-making about eggs (β = .66; = .02), and significantly decreased wasting (β = .58; = .03) and underweight (β = .47; = .02).

Conclusions: The culturally tailored behavior change package significantly increased child egg consumption. When coupled with the gift of chickens, the behavior change intervention yielded a greater increase in egg consumption and significantly reduced wasting and underweight. Behavior change strategies to increase egg consumption should be considered among nutrition and health programs in resource-poor settings where poultry is available.