The evidence base of supplementary feeding programmes and SBCC interventions on nutritional and behavioural outcomes...

Suboptimal feeding practices in children under five remain a critical concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Integrated Supplementary Feeding programmes (SFPs) combined with Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) interventions have shown potential, yet global evidence on their design and effectiveness remains scattered across diverse settings and varies widely in scope and quality. This review aims to map global evidence on integrated SFP and SBCC interventions for children aged 6-59 months, assessing their impact on anthropometric, biochemical, nutritional, health, developmental, functional, microbiological and infant and young child feeding (IYCF) outcomes, and to identify contextual factors, evidence gaps and successful strategies. The review will also aim to document cost effectiveness and economic outcomes of this integrated intervention.

The review will follow Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology, applying the Population-Concept-Context framework and the review title has been registered in Open Science Framework (OSF) (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZJ5BG). Eligible studies published between 2000 and 2025 will include community-based interventions for children under five that combine SFP and SBCC. The review will focus on SFP interventions delivered through community-based or public health platforms, including but not limited to take home ration, hot cooked meal, micronutrient powders, coupled with SBCC modalities such as home visits, mobile health and mass media campaigns. Comprehensive searches will be conducted in MEDLINE (PubMed), Cochrane CENTRAL, Google Scholar and organisational websites. Two independent reviewers will screen, extract and appraise studies using Covidence and JBI tools. Data will be analysed using descriptive statistics to summarise study characteristics, intervention types and reported outcomes, helping understand patterns across time and settings. Qualitative findings will be synthesised through descriptive content analysis involving coding and theme development. Expected outcomes include a range of study designs from different settings across the globe, covering diverse delivery models of integrated SFP and SBCC with reported outcomes including dietary indicators, anthropometry, nutritional biomarkers, caregiver practices and cost-effectiveness.

This review is part of a larger cluster randomised controlled trial (NECCTAR) which has received ethical approval from the independent institutional ethics committee of all the participating institutes. The current review will involve only publicly available literature and does not have a separate institutional ethics committee approval. Findings will be disseminated through academic conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals.

The review title has been registered in OSF (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ZJ5BG).