Decreasing Stunting by Reducing Maternal Depression in Uganda: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (CRCT) for Improved Nutrition Outcomes

The Care Groups model has strong evidence of improvement of maternal and child health and maternal hygiene/nutrition behaviors.Through Care Groups, women will learn about proper water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors; Infant and Young Child Feeding practices; management of childhood illnesses; home management, referral and care seeking for sick children; family planning; and use of preventive services available at health facilities (e.g., growth monitoring, deworming, vitamin A supplementation). All children under five years of age will also be screened for acute malnutrition by the Care Group Volunteers, and receive deworming medication and vitamin A supplementation twice a year through the Ministry of Health and Community Health Workers as part of national campaigns.

"IPT-G is an effective, low-cost, short-duration community-based method for decreasing depression has been established that was first rigorously tested in Uganda. Several Private Voluntary Organizations in Africa have used this low-cost, short-duration, community-based group psychosocial approach and found it to be a culturally-sensitive, acceptable, and feasible approach to address depression.~IPT-G treatment spans 12 weeks of treatment, consisting of 3 phases (early, middle, and termination). Within this treatment, participants are also assessed for symptoms of depression every week."