Extract

Background and study aims Hunger Is the World’s biggest health problem. More people are killed by hunger every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Concern Worldwide is an international charity which aims to tackle hunger and transform the lives of the world’s poorest people (also see http://www.actionagainsthunger.org /). It has been running unconditional cash transfers (UCT) (assisting by giving cash to the poor) as part of their humanitarian work in Somalia for some years. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of UCT interventions (or programmes) on child under nutrition. Who can participate? Households living in camps for internally displaced people (IDP) on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia who have been assessed to be particularly vulnerable by Concern Worldwide and targeted to receive cash transfers, will be invited to take part. A sample of non-recipients from IDP camps that are not currently receiving cash transfers will also be invited to participate. What does the study involve? Households that agree to take part are asked to answer a questionnaire on risk factors for children developing under nutrition. This will cover topics such as household expenditure on food, access to water and sanitation, dietary intake (what they eat), and illness. Children and their mothers are also weighed and their height and mid-upper arm circumference measured so their nutritional status can be assessed. What people think regarding malnutrition, who is most at risk of malnutrition and how useful cash transfers are at tackling malnutrition is collected through interviews and group discussions. The study also collects data to monitor how well the cash transfer programme is running and to monitor factors that may affect the impact that the cash transfer may have. These factors include what other humanitarian interventions are carried out in the study areas. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? The population in Somalia, as a whole, should benefit from the future improvement in the design of cash transfer programmes. Individual participants will benefit from nutritional screening and will be referred to a therapeutic feeding programme if found to be severely malnourished according to anthropometric criteria. Participants will be asked to allocate time to answering the study questionnaires and no material incentives or rewards will be provided. Where is the study run from? The study is run by Concern Worldwide Somalia. It takes place in camps for IDP on the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? October 2013 to December 2016 Who is funding the study? Department for International Development, UK Government Who is the main contact? Dr Andrew Seal

Inclusion criteria

• Child undernutrition

Links

• isrctn
• ictrp