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Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

NCT number NCT03036176
Other study ID # EPFPS-2010
Secondary ID
Status Completed
Phase N/A
First received January 20, 2017
Last updated January 27, 2017
Start date February 2011
Est. completion date September 2013

Study information

Verified date January 2017
Source Hasselt University
Contact n/a
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority
Study type Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

Children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are at serious risks that compromise their growth and development. Studies have shown the benefits of psychosocial intervention in mitigating the negative consequences of SAM. However, such intervention studies have targeted the critical period in child development and thus focused on children under three years of age. Dietary rehabilitation is usually included as part of the intervention package. Moreover, these young children in such studies customarily obtain more care than older ones and have access to breast milk, more frequent interaction with mother and other caregivers in the family. Therefore, effects of psychosocial interventions targeting such age groups may be different for older children. Much is not known if children older than three years of benefit from similar interventions, and if family-based psychomotor/psychosocial intervention can benefit SAM children in low income contexts such as Ethiopia where access to balanced diet remains hardly possible. In Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, many children are admitted to hospital for treatment due to SAM. The nutritional rehabilitation unit at hospitals provide dietary treatment to the SAM children who are also treated for related illnesses and complications. Once discharged from hospital, however, the SAM children return to the same poor home environments with inadequate care and unbalanced diets. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of play-based family-centered psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation on linear growth, nutritional status and developmental outcomes of under-six SAM children in the Jimma Zone, south west Ethiopia. This was done by randomly assigning the SAM children admitted to Jimma University's Specialized Referral Teaching Hospital into control and intervention groups. Both groups were receiving the routine medical and dietary treatment services. The intervention group additionally received play-based psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation. Caregivers, supported by periodic visits made to their homes, continued the simulation. Measurements were taken after six months of home follow-up. It was hypothesized that the intervention would significantly improve some of the developmental skills of these children, and that the effect may be age-dependent.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Completed
Enrollment 339
Est. completion date September 2013
Est. primary completion date August 2012
Accepts healthy volunteers No
Gender All
Age group 6 Months to 66 Months
Eligibility SAM children who were admitted for medical treatment and nutritional rehabilitation after being confirmed by physicians to be severely acutely malnourished.

Inclusion criteria were:

1. children between 6 to 60 months of age

2. of Transition Phase i.e., Phase II (no medical complications) and, whose wasting was severe (weight for height or weight for length less than 70% of the median on National Centre for Health Statistics of USA; or

3. with a low mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), i.e., less than 110 mm with a length greater than 65 cm; or,

4. having bilateral pitting edema,

Exclusion criteria were:

SAM children

1. who were completely deaf or blind,

2. who had complications that hinder mobility for play,

3. whose primary caregiver was not able to provide stimulation due to physical or mental disability,

4. who were from far or inaccessible distance for follow-up

Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


Intervention

Behavioral:
Play-based family centered stimulation
Children in the intervention group received routine medical treatment and nutritional rehabilitation services in hospital; their primary caregivers were given basic orientations on child care, feeding and nutrition. Children attended play-based stimulation sessions in which trained nurses demonstrated caregivers on how to stimulate the SAM child using play materials and facilities at playroom and playground of the hospital. After discharge from hospital, they were followed up at home and visited three times over a period of six months. During the visits, new play materials were provided and caregivers were shown how to use them to stimulate the SAM child.
Other:
no intervention
On the other hand, the control SAM group did not receive the guided psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation services although they had access to the playground facilities. Both the intervention and the control groups received all the routine medical care and dietary rehabilitation services at the hospital.

Locations

Country Name City State
n/a

Sponsors (4)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
Hasselt University Jimma University, PXL University College, University Ghent

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Language outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test language outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. baseline
Primary Language outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test language outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Primary Language outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test language outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. 6 months after discharge from hospital
Primary Personal-Social outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Personal-social outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. baseline
Primary Personal-Social outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Personal-social outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Primary Personal-Social outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Personal-social outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. 6 months after discharge
Primary Fine motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Fine motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. baseline
Primary Fine motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Fine motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Primary Fine motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Fine motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. 6 months after discharge
Primary Gross motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Gross motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. baseline
Primary Gross motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Gross motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Primary Gross motor outcome Denver II-Jimma was used to test Gross motor outcome & the total number of items successfully performed was counted. 6 months after discharge
Primary Social-emotional outcome The Ages and Stages questionnaire: Social emotional (ASQ:SE) was used to test Social emotional outcome & a child's total behavior score was obtained by adding up scores on each of the items baseline
Primary Social-emotional outcome The Ages and Stages questionnaire: Social emotional (ASQ:SE) was used to test Social emotional outcome & a child's total behavior score was obtained by adding up scores on each of the items at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Primary Social-emotional outcome The Ages and Stages questionnaire: Social emotional (ASQ:SE) was used to test Social emotional outcome & a child's total behavior score was obtained by adding up scores on each of the items 6 months after discharge
Secondary Linear growth Height/length-for-age z score was used to determine linear growth. For children under two years of age, a length measuring board on a flat table was used. The height of a child above two years of age was measured by using a portable stadiometer. baseline
Secondary Linear growth Height/length-for-age z score was used to determine linear growth. For children under two years of age, a length measuring board on a flat table was used. The height of a child above two years of age was measured by using a portable stadiometer. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Secondary Linear growth Height/length-for-age z score was used to determine linear growth. For children under two years of age, a length measuring board on a flat table was used. The height of a child above two years of age was measured by using a portable stadiometer. 6 months after discharge from hospital
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight -for-age) Weight-for-age z score was used to determine nutritional status. A child's weight was measured by using a calibrated electronic weighing scale. baseline
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight -for-age) Weight-for-age z score was used to determine nutritional status. A child's weight was measured by using a calibrated electronic weighing scale. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight -for-age) Weight-for-age z score was used to determine nutritional status. A child's weight was measured by using a calibrated electronic weighing scale. 6 months after discharge from hospital
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight for height/length) Weight-for-height/length z score (for under five children) and body-max-index-for age z score (for children above five years) were used to determine nutritional status. baseline
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight for height/length) Weight-for-height/length z score (for under five children) and body-max-index-for age z score (for children above five years) were used to determine nutritional status. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Secondary Nutritional status (Weight for height/length) Weight-for-height/length z score (for under five children) and body-max-index-for age z score (for children above five years) were used to determine nutritional status. 6 months after discharge from hospital
Secondary Nutritional status (Mid-upper-arm circumference) Mid-upper-arm circumference z score was used to determine nutritional status. Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) was measured with MUAC tape. baseline
Secondary Nutritional status (Mid-upper-arm circumference) Mid-upper-arm circumference z score was used to determine nutritional status. Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) was measured with MUAC tape. at discharge from the hospital (on average at 2 weeks)
Secondary Nutritional status (Mid-upper-arm circumference) Mid-upper-arm circumference z score was used to determine nutritional status. Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) was measured with MUAC tape. 6 months after discharge from hospital