Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41757817›Full record

Trial reportJournal of global health2026

Design and methodology of a cluster-randomised controlled trial on cash plus interventions for preventing child wasting in Somalia.

Shelley Walton, Kemish Kenneth Alier, Sydney Garretson, Samantha Grounds, Qundeel Khattak, Marina Tripaldi, Fabrizio Loddo, Said Aden Mohamoud, Mohamud Ali Nur, Sadiq Mohamed Abdiqadir and 11 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of global health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06642012 (Comparing Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Cash Plus Interventions in Preventing Acute Malnutrition in Somalia), which is not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT06642012 nacompletednot on this map

Comparing Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of Cash Plus Interventions in Preventing Acute Malnutrition in Somalia

TypeinterventionalSponsorJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthRan2023 to 2024Enrolled3,384ConditionsMalnutrition, Child, Wasting Disease, Stunting, MalnutritionArmsCash only, Cash + Social Behavior Change Communication, Cash + top-up cash
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

21 authors.

Shelley WaltonJohns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Kemish Kenneth AlierJohns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sydney GarretsonJohns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Samantha GroundsJohns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Qundeel KhattakSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Marina TripaldiSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Fabrizio LoddoSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Said Aden MohamoudSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Mohamud Ali NurSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Sadiq Mohamed AbdiqadirSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Emily MitchellSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Mohamed Billow MahatSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Maimun GureSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Dahir Isaq JibrilSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Dahir GediSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Michael OcircanSave the Children, Save the Children International, London, UK.
Meftuh Omer IsmailSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Abdullahi Abdulle FarahSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Abdifatah Ahmed MohamedFederal Government of Somalia, Ministry of Health & Human Service, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Adam Abdulkadir MohamedSave the Children, Somalia Country Office, Mogadishu, Somalia.
Nadia AkseerJohns Hopkins University, Department of International Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Somalia is a conflict, flood, and drought prone country with high rates of food insecurity and child wasting. Save the Children partnered with Johns Hopkins University to study the most effective and cost-effective combinations of assistance to prevent acute malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women (PLW) and children under five (CU5) in a six-month humanitarian programme. This study implemented an cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT) using adaptive design methodology to: (1) estimate and compare wasting incidence and prevalence of CU5 and their mothers receiving on a monthly basis either cash (Arm 1), cash + social and behaviour change communication (Arm 2), or cash + top-up cash (Arm 3); after three months and six months; (2) calculate the costs and cost-effectiveness of the different intervention arms; (3) understand perspectives and experiences of mothers and fathers of CU5 beneficiaries; (4) monitor the functionality of markets and availability and prices of foods. This paper presents the approach that was designed and implemented to study these objectives. Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods approach with a quantitative component conducted at three time points to collect anthropometric measurements and household survey data. Primary outcomes, such as child and maternal wasting, were assessed using standardised World Health Organization criteria. Additional data on food security, maternal and child health, and household conditions were collected to evaluate immediate, underlying, and basic causes of malnutrition. Cost analyses evaluated programmatic and societal costs of the intervention. An adaptive trial design was implemented, allowing the methodology to evolve as new challenges emerged. Conclusions: This trial applied an adaptive mixed methods design to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cash assistance interventions in Somalia, overcoming complex humanitarian operational challenges. Strong partnerships and flexible trial design allowed us to adjust to unpredictable events and maintain research rigor. These findings highlight the value of adaptive designs and mixed methods for improving child nutrition outcomes in complex settings. Registration: The cluster-RCT is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT06642012.

Indexed as

Child Nutrition DisordersFood AssistanceWasting SyndromeChild, PreschoolCost-Benefit AnalysisCost-Effectiveness AnalysisFemaleHumansInfantMalePregnancyResearch DesignSomalia

Identifiers

PMID41757817
PMCPMC12947715

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.