Effectiveness of voucher/cash transfer for the management of moderate acute malnutrition in Ethiopian children 6–59 months and Pregnant and breastfeeding women: A non-inferiority, cluster randomized controlled trial

Effectiveness of voucher/cash transfer for the management of moderate acute malnutrition in Ethiopian children 6-59 months and Pregnant and breastfeeding women: A non-inferiority, cluster randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

PACTR

Registry ID

PACTR202409775704779

Enrollment

6480

Registered

2024-09-13

Start date

2025-03-09

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-09-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine

Interventions

Receive voucher treatment

Received specialized nutritious food or SNF as part of routine care

Cash transfer

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: For children: Children aged 6–59 months. Permanent residents of the participating villages. Moderate acute malnutrition defined as MUAC =11.5 cm to <12.5 cm. No medical complications requiring inpatient care. For pregnant and breastfeeding women/girls (PBW/Gs): Pregnant or breastfeeding women/girls Permanent residents of the participating villages Moderate acute malnutrition defined as MUAC <23.0 cm Able and willing to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Currently receiving treatment for acute malnutrition through the Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) programme Discharged from a CMAM programme for moderate acute malnutrition within the previous three months Presence of a chronic disease or disability that affects feeding or digestion Known allergy to any ingredient in Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) Likely to move permanently or remain outside the study catchment area for more than four weeks before formal discharge Refusal or inability to provide informed consent (or parental/legal guardian consent for children)

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Among children aged 6–59 months, secondary outcomes included length of stay in the program, progression to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), mortality, defaulting, non-response, and morbidity. Among pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), secondary outcomes included length of stay, deterioration in nutritional status, defaulting, and morbidity during the intervention period.;Among children aged 6–59 months, secondary outcomes included length of stay in the program, progression to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), mortality, defaulting, non-response, and morbidity. Among pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), secondary outcomes included length of stay, deterioration in nutritional status, defaulting, and morbidity during the intervention period.	—

Measure

Time frame

Among children aged 6–59 months, secondary outcomes included length of stay in the program, progression to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), mortality, defaulting, non-response, and morbidity. Among pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), secondary outcomes included length of stay, deterioration in nutritional status, defaulting, and morbidity during the intervention period.;Among children aged 6–59 months, secondary outcomes included length of stay in the program, progression to severe acute malnutrition (SAM), mortality, defaulting, non-response, and morbidity. Among pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), secondary outcomes included length of stay, deterioration in nutritional status, defaulting, and morbidity during the intervention period.

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Secondary

Measure	Time frame
For children aged 6–59 months, the primary outcomes were nutritional recovery and average daily weight gain (g/kg/day). For pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), the primary outcomes were percentage change in body weight and percentage change in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) over the intervention period.;For children aged 6–59 months, the primary outcomes were nutritional recovery and average daily weight gain (g/kg/day). For pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), the primary outcomes were percentage change in body weight and percentage change in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) over the intervention period.	—

Measure

Time frame

For children aged 6–59 months, the primary outcomes were nutritional recovery and average daily weight gain (g/kg/day). For pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), the primary outcomes were percentage change in body weight and percentage change in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) over the intervention period.;For children aged 6–59 months, the primary outcomes were nutritional recovery and average daily weight gain (g/kg/day). For pregnant and breastfeeding women (PBW), the primary outcomes were percentage change in body weight and percentage change in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) over the intervention period.

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Countries

Ethiopia

Contacts

Public ContactSamson Gebremedhin Gebreselassie

Associate Professor of Public Health School of Public Health Addis Ababa University

samsongmgs@yahoo.com+251916822815

Outcome results

None listed

Source: PACTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Sep 19, 2026