Evaluating a Family-based Nutrition and Garden Intervention in Rural Guatemala

Evaluating a Family-based Nutrition and Garden Intervention in Rural Guatemala

This is a pilot quasi-experimental study to evaluate the impact of adding a family garden intervention to an existing wrap-around nutrition intervention for children with chronic malnutrition and their family. The existing nutrition intervention is provided by community health workers affiliated with Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance. A single community in rural Guatemala will participate in the intervention, with the goal to recruit approximately 70 families in the combined nutrition/garden intervention. A nearby community, also participating in the nutrition intervention, will serve as a nonrandom contemporaneous control.

Aims of the study include:

1. Evaluate the impact of the garden intervention on maternal and child dietary diversity, child growth and household food insecurity.
2. Use the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to conduct a preliminary implementation analysis, to guide a future, well-controlled study.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children who are already scheduled to be enrolled in Maya Health Alliance's intensive home-based nutrition program (non-investigational, standard of care) who are 6-24 months of age at the time of enrollment with a height-for-age Z scores of <= -2.5
• At least one caregiver willing to provide written informed consent
• Caregiver of a child enrolled in the study (for caregiver/head of household outcomes), including women who may be pregnant
• Planned residence in the study area for the next 18 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children with acute malnutrition (weight for length Z scores of <= -2.0)
• Children with a severe medical illness that affects growth (e.g., heart disease, kidney disease, genetic condition) as determined by a Maya Health Alliance staff physician.
• Caregivers with cognitive impairments that prevent them from being able to provide informed consent