Trial reportBMC pediatrics2019
Effect of play-based family-centered psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation on the development of severely acutely malnourished children under six in a low-income setting: a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in BMC pediatrics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03036176 ("Effects of a Play-based Family Centered Psychomotor/Psychosocial Stimulation on Recovery of Severely Malnourished Children of 6-60 Months of Age During Nutritional Rehabilitation in the Jimma Zone of Ethiopia"), which is not on this map. Cited by 19 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
"Effects of a Play-based Family Centered Psychomotor/Psychosocial Stimulation on Recovery of Severely Malnourished Children of 6-60 Months of Age During Nutritional Rehabilitation in the Jimma Zone of Ethiopia"
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of structured and unstructured interventions on fundamental motor skills in preschool children: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Analysis of Postdischarge Interventions for Children Treated for Moderate or Severe Wasting, Growth Faltering or Failure, or Edema: A Systematic Review.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Postdischarge interventions for children hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Caregivers' early stimulation behaviors on early child development outcomes in Northern Ghana.PloS one · 2026Trial
- The effect of psychosocial stimulation on the development, nutrition, and treatment outcomes of hospitalised children with severe acute malnutrition in Southern Ethiopia: a cluster randomised control trial: EPSoSAMC study.Journal of nutritional science · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Effect of parenting intervention through "Care for Child Development Guideline" on early child development and behaviors: a randomized controlled trial.BMC pediatrics · 2022Trial
- Shaping Development Through Parents: A Scalable Approach to Early Learning.Developmental science · 2026Article
- Integration of Early Child Development and Care for Hospitalized Small and Sick Children: A Holistic Approach to Pediatric Health.International journal of preventive medicine · 2026Review
- PS-SAM: A Mixed Methods Study to Understand Current Practice and the Facilitators and Barriers to the Utilisation of Psycho-Social Stimulation Interventions in Severe Acute Malnutrition.Maternal & child nutrition · 2026Article
- Structured Play Integration into Nutritional Rehabilitation for Acute Malnutrition in Uganda: An Assessment from Ugandan Referral Hospitals.Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics · 2026Article
- Analysis of Determinant Factors and Mechanisms in Early Childhood Care Services: A Qualitative Study in the Asturian Context (Spain).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Developmental and Nutritional Changes in Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition Provided withNutrients · 2024Article
- Acceptability and feasibility of integrating psychosocial stimulation interventions in the inpatient care of children with severe acute malnutrition in resource-poor settings: a qualitative study.Journal of nutritional science · 2024Article
- Article
- A Mixed-Methods Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of a Hospital-Based Psychosocial Stimulation and Counseling Program for Caregivers and Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition.Current developments in nutrition · 2021Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe World Health Organization (WHO) recommends incorporating psychosocial stimulation into the management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). However, there is little evidence about the effectiveness of these interventions for SAM children, particularly when serious food shortages and lack of a balanced diet prevail. The objective of this study was to examine whether family-based psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation in a low-income setting improves the development, linear growth, and nutritional outcomes in children with SAM.
methodChildren with SAM (N = 339) admitted for treatment to the Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, were randomized to a control (n = 170) or intervention (n = 169) group. Both groups received routine medical care and nutritional treatment at the hospital. The intervention group additionally received play-based psychomotor/psychosocial stimulation during their hospital stay, and at home for 6 months after being discharged from hospital. The fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) functions, language (LA) and personal-social (PS) skills of the children were assessed using adapted Denver II, the social-emotional (SE) behavior was assessed using adapted Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, and the linear growth and nutritional status were determined through anthropometric assessments. All outcomes were assessed before the intervention, upon discharge from hospital, and 6 months after discharge (as end-line). The overtime changes of these outcomes measured in both groups were compared using Generalized Estimating Equations.
resultsThe intervention group improved significantly on GM during hospital follow-up by 0.88 points (p < 0.001, effect size = 0.26 SD), and on FM functions during the home follow-up by 1.09 points (p = 0.001, effect size = 0.22 SD). Both young and older children benefited similarly from the treatment. The intervention did not contribute significantly to linear growth and nutritional outcomes.
conclusionPsychomotor/psychosocial stimulation of SAM children enhances improvement in gross motor functions when combined with standard nutrient-rich diets, but it can enhance the fine motor functions even when such standard dietary care is not available.
trial registrationThe trial was retrospectively registered on 30 January 2017 at the US National Institute of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov) # NCT03036176 .
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.