Association of Early Interventions With Birth Outcomes and Child Linear Growth in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries

Key Points Question Which interventions under the domains of nutrition, deworming, maternal education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene can improve birth and linear growth outcomes during the first 1000 days of life in low-income and middle-income ... show more

Key Points Question Which interventions under the domains of nutrition, deworming, maternal education, and water, sanitation, and hygiene can improve birth and linear growth outcomes during the first 1000 days of life in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs)? Findings This study used Bayesian network meta-analyses of 169 randomized clinical trials including 302 061 participants and showed that several nutritional interventions demonstrating greater associations with improved outcomes compared with standard of care, while other domains generally did not. Interventions provided to pregnant women generally demonstrated greater associations with improved outcomes than interventions provided to infants and children at later periods. Meaning The study findings suggest that it is important to intervene early for child development in LMICs, during pregnancy if possible, and combine interventions from multiple domains and test for their effectiveness. show less