Effectiveness of Behaviour Change Communication Initiatives on Vitamin A Supplementation Knowledge Among Caregivers of Children Aged 6-59 Months in Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

: Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) is a low-cost high impact, acceptable, and clinically effective intervention recommended by the World Health Organization to combat the effects of the prevalent Vitamin A deficiency in children 6-59 months which remains a public health concern globally. Maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases in this age group therefore requires adequate intake of Vitamin A. Sadly, VAS coverage has remained low over the years, averaging 61% across 64 priority countries globally and Eastern and Southern Africa recording a coverage of 57%, Kenya 67.3% which is way below the WHO target of 80%. One of the key barriers associated with low VAS uptake is inadequate knowledge. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of community-based intervention in scaling up VAS uptake for children aged six to fifty-nine months in Vihiga County, Kenya. A quasi-experimental pre-post design was employed with two arms, intervention, and control. In total, 393 and 389 caregivers of children 6-59 months were recruited at baseline and endline respectively at both arms. The intervention undertaken included development and dissemination of VAS behaviour change communication materials targeting caregivers of children 6-59 months using guides developed during the study. Logistic regression models were used, and Difference-In-Difference analysis applied to detect changes between the two arms. Due to the intervention, VAS knowledge by caregivers significantly increased by 18.4% (p= <0.001). Key significant factors associated with this increase were caregivers having MCH Handbook (OR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.31-3.74; p=0.003), receiving information on VAS from health worker at facility (OR=1.73, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.97; p=0.047), receiving information from community health volunteers (OR=2.35, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.66; p<0.001) and having secondary education (OR =3.36, 95% CI: 1.27-8.94; p=0.015. This study concludes that this intervention was effective in increasing the VAS knowledge among the caregivers of children aged six to 59 months.