Dataset Information

Rojiroti microfinance and child nutrition: a cluster randomised trial.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine whether Rojiroti microfinance, for poor Indian women, improves child nutrition.

Design

Cluster randomised trial.

Setting

Tolas (village communities) in Bihar State.

Participants

Women and children under 5 years.

Interventions

With Rojiroti microfinance, women form self-help groups and save their money to provide loans to group members. After 6 months, they receive larger external loans. Tolas were randomised to receive Rojiroti immediately or after 18 months.

Outcome measures

The primary analysis compared the mean weight for height Z score (WHZ) of children under 5 years in the intervention versus control tolas who attended for weight and height measurement 18 months after randomisation. Secondary outcomes were weight for age Z score (WAZ), height for age Z score, mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), wasting, underweight and stunting.

Results

We randomised 28 tolas to each arm and collected data from 2469 children (1560 mothers) at baseline and 2064 children (1326 mothers) at follow-up. WHZ was calculated for 1718 children at baseline and 1377 (674 intervention and 703 control) at follow-up. At 18 months, mean WHZ was significantly higher for intervention (-1.02) versus controls (-1.37; regression coefficient adjusted for clustering β=0.38, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.61, p=0.001). Significantly fewer children were wasted in the intervention group (122, 18%) versus control (200, 29%; OR=0.46, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.74, p=0.002). Mean WAZ was better in the intervention group (-2.13 vs -2.37; β=0.27, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.43, p=0.001) as was MUAC (13.6 cm vs 13.4 cm; β=0.22, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.40, p=0.02). In an analysis adjusting for baseline nutritional measures (259 intervention children and 300 control), only WAZ and % underweight showed significant differences in favour of the intervention.

Conclusion

In marginalised communities in rural India, child nutrition was better in those who received Rojiroti microfinance, compared with controls.

Trial registration number

NCT01845545.

SUBMITTER: Ojha S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7041497 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Rojiroti microfinance and child nutrition: a cluster randomised trial.

Ojha Shalini S Szatkowski Lisa L Sinha Ranjeet R Yaron Gil G Fogarty Andrew A Allen Stephen John SJ Choudhary Sunil S Smyth Alan Robert AR

Archives of disease in childhood 20191010 3

<h4>Objective</h4>To determine whether Rojiroti microfinance, for poor Indian women, improves child nutrition.<h4>Design</h4>Cluster randomised trial.<h4>Setting</h4>Tolas (village communities) in Bihar State.<h4>Participants</h4>Women and children under 5 years.<h4>Interventions</h4>With Rojiroti microfinance, women form self-help groups and save their money to provide loans to group members. After 6 months, they receive larger external loans. Tolas were randomised to receive Rojiroti immediate ...[more]

PMID: 31601571

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Dataset Information

Rojiroti microfinance and child nutrition: a cluster randomised trial.

Objective

Design

Setting

Participants

Interventions

Outcome measures

Results

Conclusion

Trial registration number

Publications

Rojiroti microfinance and child nutrition: a cluster randomised trial.

Similar Datasets

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