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A complementary feeding and play intervention improves the home environment and mental development among toddlers in

Sylvia Fernandez Rao1, Margaret E Bentley2, Nagalla Balakrishna3

  • 1Behavioral Science Unit, Extension and Training Division, National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR), Hyderabad, India.

Maternal & Child Nutrition
|December 21, 2020
PubMed

Insights

A responsive feeding and play intervention improved the home environment and infant mental development. This behavior change communication strategy enhanced caregiver skills, leading to better child outcomes at 15 months.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Public Health Interventions
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Early childhood development is influenced by the home environment and caregiver interactions.
  • Behavior change communication (BCC) interventions can be effective in improving caregiving practices.
  • Understanding the impact of specific interventions on infant development is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of a behavior change communication intervention on the home environment and infant development.
  • To compare a responsive complementary feeding and play intervention with standard care and a complementary feeding only intervention.

Main Methods:

  • A cluster randomized trial involving 600 children in rural South India from 3 to 15 months of age.
  • Intervention groups received either standard care, complementary feeding advice, or responsive feeding and play advice via biweekly home visits.
  • Infant development (Bayley-II scales) and home environment (HOME scale) were assessed at 15 months.

Main Results:

  • The responsive complementary feeding and play group showed significantly higher Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores compared to the control group.
  • Specific HOME subscales, including 'Caregiver Promotion of Child Development' (CPCD), were significantly higher in the responsive feeding and play group.
  • Infants in the responsive feeding and play group demonstrated significantly higher Mental Development Index (MDI) scores compared to the control group, with no significant differences in Psychomotor Development Index (PDI) scores.

Conclusions:

  • A responsive complementary feeding and play intervention delivered through home visits positively impacts the home environment and infant mental development.
  • The 'Caregiver Promotion of Child Development' (CPCD) subscale of the HOME inventory is associated with both mental and psychomotor development in infants.
  • This intervention holds promise for improving early childhood development in resource-limited settings.

Keywords:
behaviour change communicationcognitive developmenthome visitsintegrated interventionresponsive feeding

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