NCT05796934

Evaluation of the Moments That Matter Program in Kenya

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 595 (actual)
• Sponsor: Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This cluster-randomized trial aims to evaluate the impact of the Moments That Matter® (MTM) Program on early child development and caregiving outcomes in two selected counties in western Kenya.

Detailed description

Approximately 43% of children under-5 are at risk of not attaining their developmental potential. Parenting interventions are recommended for improving early childhood development during the earliest years of life. However, there is limited evidence regarding the delivery and effectiveness of parenting interventions to promote early child development outcomes in Kenya specifically. This cluster-randomized trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Moments That Matter® (MTM) Program on early child development and caregiving outcomes in two selected counties in western Kenya. The MTM Program will be implemented by the Anglican Church of Kenya Development Services - Nyanza (ADS-Nyanza), a faith-based organization focused on supporting integrated community-based programs to support the health, wellbeing, and development of the most vulnerable children and families. Various stakeholders - including community volunteers, faith leaders, and ECD committees - will be mobilized and trained to deliver nurturing care and ECD services over an 18-month program period. This trial will enroll primary caregivers of children 0-18 months of age and longitudinally follow the study cohort to ultimately compare changes in early child development and caregiving outcomes between the intervention and waitlist-control study arms. In addition to the impact evaluation, a qualitative implementation evaluation will be conducted to assess quality of delivery, identify factors that influence program effectiveness, and determine program potential for sustainability and scale-up.

Conditions

• Child Development

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Moments that Matter (MTM) Program	MTM aims to empower caregivers, enhance nurturing care practices, and ultimately improve early child development (ECD). MTM will be targeted to primary caregivers of children aged 0-3 years and implemented over an 18 month period. The primary program delivery agent will be local volunteers ("ECD promoters") who will facilitate monthly peer group sessions and conduct monthly home visits to participants residing in their village. The MTM curriculum covers topics relating to responsive caregiving, early learning, and child security \& safety, and gender equality. Faith leaders will also be trained to promote nurturing care and ECD within their sermons and Bible study groups. ECD committees will be also formed among leaders across various sectors (e.g., health, education, faith institutions) to promote nurturing care and ECD at the community level and coordinate MTM activities with program staff, delivery agents, and other existing service providers (e.g., community health volunteers).

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-02-27
• Primary completion: 2025-05-31
• Completion: 2025-05-31
• First posted: 2023-04-04
• Last updated: 2024-04-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Kenya