Child Growth and Development Path-to-Scale Research Initiative

The PSR team is targeting countries and sub-national regions with the most severe burdens of stunting to scale up research.4 1 Path-to-Scale Research Initiative on Child Growth and Development Stunting is characterized by poor linear growth and is identified as height-for-age that is two or more standard deviations below the mean of a healthy reference population. [...] Two recent Lancet series (2008, 2013) identified the critical role of early nutrition during the 1,000-day window, and days of life, and nearly a dozen evidence-based interventions that have the greatest impact on child health and development.9,10 While progress has been made in reducing stunting at a global level, a quarter of children under the age of 5 were stunted in 2019, signaling the need t. [...] Stunting Interventions Evidence Review The PSR team conducted an evidence review to identify and assess evidence of stunting interventions on child growth and nutrition outcomes, while also accounting for the breadth and direction of the available evidence. [...] An important next step is to consider how to bring effective interventions to scale, both individually and combined, and to optimize effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.25 Given robust evidence of the efficacy of SQ-LNS to improve growth outcomes, our path-to-scale research agenda focuses on how to deliver SQ-LNS to children at risk of growth faltering during the complementary feeding period. [...] Pursuing Child Growth and Development Path-to-Scale Research The PSR team has created research agendas around the prioritized EBAs, working closely with stakeholders throughout the process, and is seeking new implementation and research partnerships for LNS, cash transfers combined with BCC and animal-source foods.