Comparison of Child Nutritional Status Between Positive Deviance/Hearth (PD/Hearth) Intervention and Non-Intervention Areas in Jeju District

Masters Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Health - Nutritional Science, grade: Good, Hawassa University (Institute of Nutrition, Food Science and Technology), language: English, abstract: World Vision Ethiopia had implemented a two years Essential Nutrition Promotion (ENP) Project, using the Positive Deviance/Hearth (PD Hearth) approach, in two Kebeles of Jeju District from June 2007 to September 2009. The PD Hearth approach identifies those behaviors practiced by the mothers or caretakers of well-nourished children from poor families and transfers such positive practices to others in the community with malnourished children. The study investigated whether there are improvements sustained three years after the program was terminated. A Cross-sectional survey was administered to a total of 249 children, 123 of them randomly selected from two Kebeles that had previously participated in the program and 126 children from a neighboring comparison two Kebeles. All the sample children 6-59 months of age were measured, and mothers of children under 24 months interviewed. The children born after the completion of the program in the intervention area were significantly better nourished than those in the comparison area, with adjusted mean weight-for-age Z scores of -0.963 versus -1.308 (p