Summits - SBCC and C4D
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Summits - SBCC and C4D
After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
Co-founder Victoria Martin is pleased to see this work continue under Wits' leadership. Victoria knows that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction.
 
We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Effectiveness of an educational intervention on complementary feeding practices and growth in rural China: A cluster randomised controlled trial

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Shi, L., J. Zhang, et al. (2010). "Effectiveness of an educational intervention on complementary feeding practices and growth in rural China: A cluster randomised controlled trial." Public Health Nutrition 13(4): 556-565.

Objective: Inappropriate complementary feeding is one of the major causes of malnutrition in young children in developing countries. We developed an educational intervention, delivered by local health-care providers, aimed at improving complementary feeding practices and child nutrition.

Design: Eight townships in Laishui, a rural area in China, were randomly assigned to the educational intervention or control group. A total of 599 healthy infants were enrolled at age 2-4 months and followed up until 1 year of age. In the intervention group, educational messages and enhanced home-prepared recipes were disseminated to caregivers through group trainings and home visits. Questionnaire surveys and anthropometric measurements were taken at baseline and ages 6, 9 and 12 months. Analysis was by intention to treat.

Results: It was found that food diversity, meal frequency and hygiene practices were improved in the intervention group. Infants in the intervention group gained 0·22 kg more weight (95% CI 0·003, 0·45 kg, P = 0·047) and gained 0·66 cm more length (95% CI 0·03, 1·29 cm, P = 0·04) than did controls over the study period.

Conclusions: Findings from the study suggest that an educational intervention delivered through local health-care providers can lead to substantial behavioural changes of caregivers and improve infant growth.