Meals, Education, and Gardens For In- School Adolescents (MEGA): Study Protocol for a Cluster Randomised Trial of An Integrated Adolescent Nutrition Intervention in Dodoma, Tanzania
Loading...
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMJ
Abstract
Introduction Secondary schools have the transformative
potential to advance adolescent nutrition and provide
a unique entry point for nutrition interventions to reach
adolescents and their families and communities. Integrated
school nutrition interventions offer promising pathways
towards improving adolescent nutrition status, food
security and building sustainable skill sets.
Methods and analysis The Meals, Education, and
Gardens for In-School Adolescents (MEGA) project aims
to implement and evaluate an integrated, school-based
nutrition intervention package among secondary schools
in the Chamwino District of Dodoma, Tanzania. MEGA is
a cluster-randomised controlled trial, including six public
secondary schools assigned to three different arms.
Two schools will receive the full intervention package,
including school meals, school gardens, nutrition
education and community workshops. Two schools
will receive the partial intervention package, including
the school garden, nutrition education and community
workshops. Two schools will serve as the controls and
will not receive any intervention. The intervention will
be implemented for one academic year. Baseline and
end-line quantitative data collection will include 750
adolescents and 750 parents. The domains of outcomes
for adolescents will include haemoglobin concentrations,
anthropometry, educational outcomes and knowledge,
attitudes and practices regarding nutrition, agriculture and
health. The domains of outcomes for parents will include
knowledge, attitudes and practices of nutrition, agriculture
and health. End-line focus group discussions will be
conducted among selected adolescents, parents and
teachers to assess the facilitators and barriers associated
with the intervention.
Ethics and dissemination This study was approved by
the Institutional Review Board at Harvard T.H. Chan School
of Public Health (approval number: IRB20-1623), the
Institutional Research Review Committee at the University
of Dodoma (approval number: MA.84/261/02) and the
Tanzania National Institute for Medical Research (approval
number: NIMR/HO/R.8a/Vol. IX/3801). A manuscript with
the research findings will be developed for publication.
Description
This research article was published by BMJ in 2022