Using Mobile Phones to Improve Children’s Nutrition in Northern Ghana
Credit: ACDI/VOCA
Description: The three-year research project, "Using Mobile Phones to Improve Children’s Nutrition in Northern Ghana," led by Prof. Robert Darko Osei from the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana, has a budget of $449,833 and is supported by USAID under the Feed the Future Advancing Local Leadership, Innovation and Networks (ALL-IN) program. This project aims to enhance nutrition among young children by utilizing mobile phone communications to reinforce the impacts of the USAID Resiliency in Northern Ghana Project (RING). Conducted as a randomized controlled trial involving approximately 1,800 households with children under two years old across 180 communities, it evaluates the effectiveness of nutrition-related messaging on household food security and resilience against shocks. Research partners include Image-AD and Northwestern University. The study seeks to identify behavioral changes related to nutrition and assess the cost-effectiveness of mobile communication in promoting better nutrition practices among families in Northern Ghana, where persistent rural poverty significantly affects child nutrition.