Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33960693›Full record

ArticleMaternal & child nutrition2021

Evaluation of an mHealth tool to improve nutritional assessment among infants under 6 months in paediatric development clinics in rural Rwanda: Quasi-experimental study.

Mathieu Nemerimana, Angelique Charlie Karambizi, Sabine Umutoniwase, Dale A Barnhart, Kathryn Beck, Vianney Kabundi Bihibindi, Kim Wilson, Alphonse Nshimyiryo, Jessica Bradford, Silas Havugarurema and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Maternal & child nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Evaluation of an ARF diagnosis calculator: a survey and content analysis.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2022
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.

Mathieu NemerimanaPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.ORCID 0000-0002-5649-966X
Angelique Charlie KarambiziPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.
Sabine UmutoniwasePartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.
Dale A BarnhartPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.
Kathryn BeckPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.ORCID 0000-0001-7407-9418
Vianney Kabundi BihibindiPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.ORCID 0000-0002-0110-1503
Kim WilsonBoston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Alphonse NshimyiryoPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.
Jessica BradfordPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.
Silas HavugaruremaKirehe District Hospital, Ministry of Health of Rwanda, Kirehe Town, Rwanda.
Alphonsine UwamahoroKirehe District Hospital, Ministry of Health of Rwanda, Kirehe Town, Rwanda.
Emmanuel NsabyamahoroKirehe District Hospital, Ministry of Health of Rwanda, Kirehe Town, Rwanda.
Catherine M KirkPartners In Health/Inshuti Mu Buzima, Kigali, Rwanda.ORCID 0000-0001-9103-2611
Partners In Health · USKirwan Health Campus · AUBoston Children's Hospital · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Infants born preterm, low birthweight or with other perinatal complications require frequent and accurate growth monitoring for optimal nutrition and growth. We implemented an mHealth tool to improve growth monitoring and nutritional status assessment of high risk infants. We conducted a pre-post quasi-experimental study with a concurrent control group among infants enrolled in paediatric development clinics in two rural Rwandan districts. During the pre-intervention period (August 2017-January 2018), all clinics used standard paper-based World Health Organization (WHO) growth charts. During the intervention period (August 2018-January 2019), Kirehe district adopted an mHealth tool for child growth monitoring and nutritional status assessment. Data on length/height; weight; length/height-for-age (L/HFA), weight-for-length/height (WFL/H) and weight-for-age (WFA) z-scores; and interval growth were tracked at each visit. We conducted a 'difference-in-difference' analysis to assess whether the mHealth tool was associated with greater improvements in completion and accuracy of nutritional assessments and nutritional status at 2 and 6 months of age. We observed 3529 visits. mHealth intervention clinics showed significantly greater improvements on completeness for corrected age (endline: 65% vs. 55%; p = 0.036), L/HFA (endline: 82% vs. 57%; p ≤ 0.001), WFA (endline: 93% vs. 67%; p ≤ 0.001) and WFL/H (endline: 90% vs. 59%; p ≤ 0.001) z-scores compared with control sites. Accuracy of growth monitoring did not improve. Prevalence of stunting, underweight and inadequate interval growth at 6-months corrected age decreased significantly more in the intervention clinics than in control clinics. Results suggest that integrating mHealth nutrition interventions is feasible and can improve child nutrition outcomes. Improved tool design may better promote accuracy.

Indexed as

Nutrition AssessmentTelemedicineChildFemaleGrowth DisordersHumansInfantInfant, NewbornNutritional StatusPregnancyRwandachild developmentgrowth monitoringhigh-risk infantsmHealthnutritionsmall and sick newborns

Identifiers

PMID33960693
PMCPMC8476404
OpenAlexW3157392526

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.