Age-based preventive targeting of food assistance and behaviour change and communication for reduction of childhood undernutrition in Haiti: a cluster randomised trial.

The article presents a cluster randomized trial to determine if earlier age-based preventive targeting of childhood nutrition programs could reduce childhood malnutrition in developing countries. Most such programs have used a benchmark of five years or younger, and the trial attempts to determine if a lower benchmark would be more effective, and if preventive targeting of nursing mothers is more effective than remedial nutrition. Two childhood nutrition programs in Haiti were examined in the trial. The results showed that preventive targeting was more effective in reducing cases of child malnutrition.