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Abstract
It is thus encouraging to see the results of the intervention study published by Mary Penny and colleagues in today's Lancet. In a cluster-randomised trial, these researchers evaluated the effectiveness of nutrition education delivered through existing governmental health-services in a poor periurban area of Peru. 12 health facilities were randomly assigned to intervention or control groups, and 377 infants born in catchment areas after the programme was implemented were followed up until 18 months of age to assess various outcomes. Formative research was done to develop three key educational messages, which focused on giving thick purees of complementary foods at each meal, adding chicken liver, egg, or fish to the infant's serving, and use of responsive feeding-practices. A unique aspect of the study was the incorporation of an accreditation scheme to assess implementation of the project within each health facility, and to provide public recognition to the accredited facilities.