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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

researcher spotlight

Agnes Quisumbing

Agnes Quisumbing is a Senior Research Fellow in the Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion Unit. She co-leads a research program that examines how closing the gap between men’s and women’s ownership and control of assets may lead to better development outcomes.

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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Jef L. Leroy

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Jef Leroy is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, where he studies the impact of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and social protection programs on maternal and child nutrition. His evaluation studies use experimental designs combined with process evaluations and costing studies. Jef currently works on the evaluation of a social protection program in Bangladesh designed to improve birth outcomes and on the evaluation of a training and certification program aimed at improving the quality of milk sold by informal vendors in Nairobi. In addition, he studies the role of food environments in adolescent nutrition in urban areas in Ghana, Viet Nam, and Ethiopia and conducts research on child wasting and on the use of child linear growth in development.

Jef recently completed the evaluation of two large-scale food-assisted maternal and child health and nutrition programs in Burundi and Guatemala. His previous research focused on the impact of aflatoxin on child linear growth in Kenya and Mexico. Before joining IFPRI, Jef was a research associate in the Center for Evaluation Research and Surveys at Mexico’s National Institute of Public Health, where he worked on the evaluation of the urban and rural Oportunidades programs and of the Programa de Apoyo Alimentario (a cash and in-kind transfer program).

Jef, a Belgian citizen, has a PhD in international nutrition from Cornell University, US, and an MSc in agricultural and applied biological sciences from Ghent University, Belgium.

Languages: Dutch, English, French, Spanish

Google Scholar Profile

Google Scholar Citations

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Abstract

The cost and cost-effectiveness of integrating wasting prevention into screening in facility- and community-based platforms in Burkina Faso and Mali

2024Brander, Rebecca L.; Puett, Chloe; Becquey, Elodie; Leroy, Jef L.; Ruel, Marie T.; Sessou, Fidele Eric; Huybregts, Lieven
Details

The cost and cost-effectiveness of integrating wasting prevention into screening in facility- and community-based platforms in Burkina Faso and Mali

Objectives: The release of the new WHO guideline on the prevention and treatment of child wasting identified a dearth of rigorous evidence on the cost-effectiveness of wasting-related interventions, and especially so for interventions that integrate prevention into screening. We estimated the cost and cost-effectiveness of integrating prevention interventions – behavior change communication (BCC) and small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) – into a facility-based platform in Burkina Faso with enhanced BCC and a community-based platform in Mali with standard BCC.

Year published

2024

Authors

Brander, Rebecca L.; Puett, Chloe; Becquey, Elodie; Leroy, Jef L.; Ruel, Marie T.; Sessou, Fidele Eric; Huybregts, Lieven

Citation

Brander, Rebecca L.; Puett, Chloe; Becquey, Elodie; Leroy, Jef L.; Ruel, Marie T.; Sessou, Fidele Eric; and Huybregts, Lieven. 2024. The cost and cost-effectiveness of integrating wasting prevention into screening in facility- and community-based platforms in Burkina Faso and Mali. Current Developments in Nutrition 8 (Supplement 2): 102929. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102929

Country/Region

Burkina Faso; Mali

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Disease Prevention; Wasting Disease (nutritional Disorder); Cost Analysis; Costs

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102929 Source record

Record type

Abstract

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Abstract

Can Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) improve child growth and development? A critical review of the epidemiological foundations

2024Leroy, Jef L.; Larson, Leila M.; Brander, Rebecca L.; Frongillo, Edward A.; Ruel, Marie T.; Avula, Rasmi
Details

Can Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) improve child growth and development? A critical review of the epidemiological foundations

Objectives: GMP programs have been globally implemented for many decades, but the epidemiological foundations of GMP have never been reviewed. We evaluated whether commonly used GMP criteria can be used for diagnosis or screening, i.e., if they accurately identify current or predict subsequent inadequate growth or development in individual children. Methods: We conducted a critical review of the literature and analyzed growth patterns in well-nourished children. We estimated the predictive accuracy of commonly used GMP criteria by regressing growth status and developmental scores at 18 and 24 months on these criteria during infancy, using longitudinal data from high-, middle-, and low-income countries. The root mean square error (RMSE), sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) were used as measures of predictive accuracy. Results: Healthy children follow highly variable growth trajectories which challenges the notion that growth information alone can be used to distinguish between current or subsequent healthy or inadequate growth in individual children. The most used GMP criteria (low weight-for-age Z-score, inadequate weight gain) do not provide a clear diagnosis because they cannot distinguish between being too thin or too short. GMP criteria are also not meaningful for screening individual children because they do not accurately predict (low Se, low Sp, and high RMSE) inadequate growth later in childhood. The same holds for growth indices which do not accurately identify individual children at risk of concurrent or later suboptimal development. Conclusions: GMP, as currently designed, does not have the epidemiological basis needed to justify its widescale implementation. Our results do not challenge the need to support parents of young children, but research is needed to identify how regular meetings with parents can be optimized to improve the nutrition, health, and development of their young children in LMICs.

Year published

2024

Authors

Leroy, Jef L.; Larson, Leila M.; Brander, Rebecca L.; Frongillo, Edward A.; Ruel, Marie T.; Avula, Rasmi

Citation

Leroy, Jef L.; Larson, Leila M.; Brander, Rebecca L.; Frongillo, Edward A.; Ruel, Marie T.; and Avula, Rasmi. Can Growth Monitoring and Promotion (GMP) improve child growth and development? A critical review of the epidemiological foundations. Current Developments in Nutrition 8 (Supplement 2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102966

Keywords

Child Growth; Child Development; Epidemiology; Nutrition; Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102966 Source record

Record type

Abstract

Resource thumbnail

Abstract

Achieving sustainability and scalability of a large-scale prenatal cash and food transfer intervention in Bangladesh

2024Akter, Fahmida; Parvin, Aklima; Roy, Shalini; Frongillo, Edward A.; Leroy, Jef L.; Larson, Leila M.
Details

Achieving sustainability and scalability of a large-scale prenatal cash and food transfer intervention in Bangladesh

Objectives: The WHO (2016) antenatal care guidelines recommend research on alternatives to prenatal energy and protein supplements – such as cash or food distribution. The Bangladesh government is currently implementing the Mother and Child Benefit Programme (MCBP) to improve prenatal nutrition and child health. We conducted implementation research that aimed to understand how the MCBP, and augmented versions of it, 1) stimulated behavior changes, 2) enabled or prevented participants to sustain behavior changes, and 3) achieved conditions required for program scale-up.

Year published

2024

Authors

Akter, Fahmida; Parvin, Aklima; Roy, Shalini; Frongillo, Edward A.; Leroy, Jef L.; Larson, Leila M.

Citation

Akter, Fahmida; Parvin, Aklima; Roy, Shalini; Frongillo, Edward A.; Leroy, Jef L.; and Larson, Leila M. 2024. Achieving sustainability and scalability of a large-scale prenatal cash and food transfer intervention in Bangladesh. Current Developments in Nutrition 8 (Supplement 2): 102923. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102923

Country/Region

Bangladesh

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Cash Transfers; Nutrition Education; Sustainability; Women; Pregnancy

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cdnut.2024.102923 Source record

Record type

Abstract

Blogs

Evaluating impacts: Lessons from food systems interventions across Africa and Asia
IFPRI Blog
 | 
July 16, 2024

Evaluating impacts: Lessons from food systems interventions across Africa and Asia

By Jef L. Leroy, Lynnette Neufeld, Stella Nordhagen, and Sydney Honeycutt

Transforming food systems is promising but complex, requiring strong evidence and rigorous evaluations to ensure effective interventions.

Can child wasting be prevented in times of crisis? Evidence from Burundi
IFPRI Blog
 | 
April 28, 2021

Can child wasting be prevented in times of crisis? Evidence from Burundi

By Jef L. Leroy, Deanna K. Olney, Marie Ruel, and Tracy Brown

Positive results from the Tubaramure program suggest lessons for COVID-19 responses and future crises.

The cost of improving nutritional outcomes through food aid programs: Is more and longer better?
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 20, 2020

The cost of improving nutritional outcomes through food aid programs: Is more and longer better?

By Jef L. Leroy, Jessica Heckert, Deanna K. Olney, Susan Richter, Elyse Iruhiriye, Marie T. Ruel, and Tracy Brown

Evidence shows that these programs can work, but are the costs reasonable?

Events

NUTRITION 2024: Where the best in science & health meet
IFPRI at External Event

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June 29 to July 2, 2024

NUTRITION 2024: Where the best in science & health meet

IFPRI is pleased to participate in the NUTRITION 2024 conference. The conference program will feature scientific symposia and educational sessions, unpublished oral research study presentations, poster sessions and flash talks. As well as award lectures delivered by distinguished leaders, professional and career development opportunities, and events with ASN’s vibrant scientific communities known as Groups Engaging […]

2024 Global Food Policy Report LAC: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition
Series/Special Event

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June 27, 2024, 3:00 – 4:30 pm

2024 Global Food Policy Report LAC: Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Nutrition

Unhealthy diets are a major driver of all forms of malnutrition, including undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity. At the same time, our food systems contribute about a third of greenhouse gas emissions and degrade natural resources. The 2024 Global Food Policy Report examines policies, innovations, and governance solutions to strengthen diet quality and […]

Can Sustainable Livestock Systems and Alternative Proteins Address the Climate Crisis?
Series/Special Event

 | 

November 7, 2023, 9:30 – 11:00 am

Can Sustainable Livestock Systems and Alternative Proteins Address the Climate Crisis?

Virtual Event: November 7, 2023 – 9:30 AM- 11:00 AM EDT. This CGIAR seminar will delve into the report’s findings and recommendations around livestock and alternative proteins, and identify promising initiatives and technologies that can be pursued in order to advance on three priorities outlined in the Agricultural Breakthrough report.

News

December 10, 2020 | In the News

Covid-19 and the irreversible marks undernutrition will leave in its wake (Poshan Outlook)

Poshan Outlook (India) published an op-ed by Poverty, Heath, and Nutrition Division Director Marie Ruel and Senior Research Fellow, Jef Leroy that stated one of the key objectives of India’s Covid-19 mitigation efforts is to prevent child undernutrition now rather than to treat it later, without compromising on maternal, child health and nutrition services. What started as a health crisis has developed into a […]

September 09, 2019 | In the News

Guatemalans grew an inch in half a century (Prensa Libre)

Guatemala’s Prensa Libre reported on the recent finding that Guatemalan women’s average height has increased an average of one centimeter over the past fifty years, making them the shortest female population in the world. The article explained the connections between stature and other indicators of health and quality of life and quoted Senior Research Fellow […]