Engaging males to improve nutrition outcomes in young children in Bihar.

Poor dietary practices among children aged 6-23 months pose a critical public health challenge, hindering their physical and cognitive development. The National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) reveals that only 11% of children in this age group consume diets meeting the minimum dietary diversity requirements. To address this, a targeted intervention was designed and implemented to improve dietary diversity in children. This study evaluates the intervention's impact on enhancing dietary diversity and fostering changes in gender norms, such as increased male participation in nutrition-related decision-making, food procurement, shared childcare responsibilities, and discussions about children's nutritional needs. This research employed a quasi-experimental design with baseline and endline rounds. The intervention and control blocks were selected from the same district based on matching criteria such as population size, literacy rate, etc. The sample size was determined using a two-sample proportion formula to detect an 9% difference between the intervention and control groups, with a 95% confidence level and 80% statistical power. Household listing identified 1,684 and 1,362 children aged 6-11 months in the intervention and control blocks, respectively. 400 fathers and 400 mothers were randomly sampled from both arms in each survey round. The intervention's impact was assessed using a difference-in-differences (DID) approach. The results revealed significant improvements in the minimum dietary diversity of children aged 6-23 months (DID coefficient, 21%;