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Kinya Kaibung’a is a Research Officer with the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Nairobi, Kenya. She has a keen interest in leveraging machine learning, AI, and other cutting-edge technologies to boost climate resilience and food security in smart agriculture systems.

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experts

Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Mariama Touré

Senior Research Analyst

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Bio

Mariama Touré is a Senior Research Analyst in the Nutrition, Health, and Diets Unit, based in Dakar, Senegal. Her work includes projects that tackle acute malnutrition, gender, and women’s empowerment. She also works on coordinating the impact evaluation of nutrition-sensitive interventions, collaboration, and communication with local academic and implementing partners. Before joining IFPRI, Mariama worked as a Data Analyst at the Institut de Recherche et Documentation en Economie de la Santé (IRDES, Paris), where she studied the impact of hospital competition on the quality of cancer care.

Mariama trained as a statistical engineer at the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Analyse de l’Information (ENSAI) in Rennes, France, after obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from the École Nationale de la Statistique et de l’Analyse Economique (ENSAE) in Dakar, Senegal. She also holds a Master’s degree in Health Economics from the Aix-Marseille School of Economics (AMSE).

Language spoken: Wolof, French, English

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Publications

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Barriers and factors associated with treatment coverage of severe acute malnutrition among children 6–59 months in agrarian and pastoralist areas of Ethiopia

2026Biru, Bayise; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Areb, Mohammed; Haddis, Alemayehu; Fall, Talla; Touré, Mariama; Belachew, Tefera
Details

Barriers and factors associated with treatment coverage of severe acute malnutrition among children 6–59 months in agrarian and pastoralist areas of Ethiopia

Severe acute malnutrition remains a major public health concern, yet a large proportion of affected children do not receive appropriate treatment. Understanding the barriers and associated factors is essential for informing targeted, context‐specific interventions. A door‐to‐door screening campaign among children aged 6–59 months was conducted from May to September 2024 in Kersa (agrarian) and Jeldessa (pastoralist) woredas of Ethiopia. The treatment coverage of severe acute malnutrition was 12.8% (95% CI: 9.0%–17.9%). The most frequently reported barriers to treatment included lack of awareness of the child’s nutritional status, time and financial constraints, and absence of family permission. Multivariable analysis revealed that household wealth index (aPR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.5–5.5), use of water treatment methods (aPR: 4.6; 95% CI: 1.7–11.9), recent community MUAC screening (aPR: 12.0; 95% CI: 5.4–26.8), availability of treatment services at a nearby health post (aPR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.1–9.9), and possession of a vaccination card (aPR: 3.2; 95% CI: 1.1–9.1) were significantly associated with severe acute malnutrition treatment coverage. The findings highlight that severe acute malnutrition treatment coverage in both pastoralist and agrarian settings of Ethiopia remains critically low. Stronger implementation of active screening and treatment services recommended by Ethiopian national guidelines, together with social protection measures for the poorest households, may improve treatment coverage.

Year published

2026

Authors

Biru, Bayise; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Areb, Mohammed; Haddis, Alemayehu; Fall, Talla; Touré, Mariama; Belachew, Tefera

Citation

Biru, Bayise; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Areb, Mohammed; Haddis, Alemayehu; et al. 2026. Barriers and factorsassociated with treatment coverage of severe acute malnutrition among children 6–59 months in agrarian and pastoralist areas of Ethiopia. Maternal and Child Nutrition 22(3): e70219. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70219

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Malnutrition; Children; Agrarian Structure; Pastoral Society; Rural Areas; Health

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70219 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

Determinants of infant and young child feeding practices of children with severe acute malnutrition in agrarian and pastoralist settings of Ethiopia

2026Areb, Mohammed; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Touré, Mariama; Biru, Bayise; Fall, Talla; Haddis, Alemayehu; Belachew, Tefera
Details

Determinants of infant and young child feeding practices of children with severe acute malnutrition in agrarian and pastoralist settings of Ethiopia

Previous research has established determinants of young child feeding (IYCF) practices in the general child population, but determinants of these practices in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) are unknown. This study assessed the determinants of IYCF practices among children aged 6–23 months with SAM and under SAM treatment in a pastoralist and a predominantly agrarian setting in Ethiopia. As part of the baseline survey for the R-SWITCH cluster randomized control trial, we screened ~28,000 under-fives and included 486 children aged 6–23 months with SAM and under SAM treatment. Multivariable regression analysis was used to identify determinants on household, caregiver and child levels. Minimum meal frequency (MMF) was similar between children from the agrarian (53.9%) and pastoralist (51.9%) setting. The prevalence of children with minimum dietary diversity (MDD) was low overall but higher among pastoralist children (31.5%) than children from the agrarian setting (19.0%; p = 0.012). The consumption of egg/flesh foods was lower among pastoralist children (5.6%) than agrarian children (16.9%, p = 0.085). Caregiver literacy was positively associated with a higher likelihood of MMF (IRR = 1.21; 95% CI:1.02–1.43; p = 0.030), while caregiver depression was associated with a lower likelihood of MMF (RR = 0.97; 95% CI:0.95–0.99; p = 0.003). Improved water source (RR = 1.59; 95% CI:1.06–2.38; p = 0.037), caregiver literacy (RR = 2.04; 95% CI:1.25–3.34; p = 0.002), caregiver MDD (RR = 2.21; 95% CI:1.60–3.05; p ≤ 0.001), older children(RR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02–1.08;p ≤ 0.001), and pastoralist setting (RR = 1.62; 95% CI:1.07–2.44; p = 0.014) were associated with a significantly higher likelihood of meeting MDD. Conversely, caregiver depression (RR = 0.94; 95% CI:0.90–0.97; p < 0.001), caregiver mobility restriction (IRR = 0.94; 95% CI:0.89–1.00; p = 0.025), and food insecurity (RR = 0.64; 95% CI:0.41–1.01; p = 0.05) were associated with reduced MDD likelihood. Caregiver community involvement (IRR = 1.12; 95% CI:1.00–1.26; p = 0.038), caregiver MDD (RR = 1.67; 95% CI:1.10–2.53; p = 0.043), and older children (RR = 1.08; 95% CI:1.05–1.12; p < 0.001) were associated with increased egg/flesh-food consumption among children, while living in a pastoralist setting was associated with reduced it (RR = 0.36; 95% CI:0.13–0.97; p = 0.038). Integrated and Targeted interventions recommended: caregiver literacy/depression support to improve IYCF; livelihood-specific foods (eggs/flesh, fruits/vegetables); WaSH enhancements; community engagement; and IYCF counseling within CMAM programs.

Year published

2026

Authors

Areb, Mohammed; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Touré, Mariama; Biru, Bayise; Fall, Talla; Haddis, Alemayehu; Belachew, Tefera

Citation

Areb, Mohammed; Huybregts, Lieven; Tamiru, Dessalegn; Touré, Mariama; Biru, Bayise; et al. 2026. Determinants of infant and young child feeding practices of children with severe acute malnutrition in agrarian and pastoralist settings of Ethiopia. Maternal and Child Nutrition 22(3): e70217. https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70217

Country/Region

Ethiopia

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Eastern Africa; Infant Feeding; Child Feeding; Infants; Children; Malnutrition; Agrarian Structure; Pastoral Society

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1111/mcn.70217 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Resource thumbnail

Journal Article

The impact of a continuum of care intervention from prevention to treatment on child wasting compared to usual community group activities: A cluster randomized controlled trial in Mali

2026Huybregts, Lieven; Diop, Loty; Fall, Talla; Barba, Francisco; Brander, Rebecca L.; Touré, Mariama; Ouedraogo, Moctar; Hien, Alain; Becquey, Elodie
Details

The impact of a continuum of care intervention from prevention to treatment on child wasting compared to usual community group activities: A cluster randomized controlled trial in Mali

Background Child wasting is associated with a high mortality risk and remains a persistent public health challenge. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an intervention strengthening the continuum of care of child wasting from prevention, screening, and referral to treatment in Mali. Methods A two-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted using two study designs to evaluate impact and pathways: i) a longitudinal study of children enrolled at 6 months (n=2,324) with monthly follow-up for 3–6 months to assess wasting prevalence (primary outcome); ii) a longitudinal study of all children 6–23 months admitted to outpatient therapeutic programs (OTP; n=7,104) assessing recovery and adherence. Additional OTP coverage surveys were conducted at the end of the study. In both study arms, nutrition activity support groups (NASG) screened children for wasting and provided caregiver behavior change communication (BCC). The intervention arm additionally received small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS), child-centered BCC, family-led screening, and follow-up on referred wasting cases to support OTP admission and adherence. Results The intervention did not impact wasting prevalence but reduced the incidence of wasting (relative risk (RR): 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64, 0.99) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM) (RR: 0.71, 95%CI: 0.57, 0.89). The intervention significantly increased wasting screening coverage by 37 pp (95%CI: 31, 44) and SAM treatment coverage by 15 pp (95%CI: 0.35, 30). No impacts of the intervention on OTP recovery or adherence were found. NASGs often replaced the monthly home visits with community gatherings to deliver the intervention. NASGs also often distributed SQ-LNS to children they identified with wasting instead of referring them to the OTP. Conclusions Strengthening the continuum of care of wasting through community groups reduced the incidence of wasting and SAM and improved screening coverage, which translated into a modest gain in SAM treatment coverage.

Year published

2026

Authors

Huybregts, Lieven; Diop, Loty; Fall, Talla; Barba, Francisco; Brander, Rebecca L.; Touré, Mariama; Ouedraogo, Moctar; Hien, Alain; Becquey, Elodie

Citation

Huybregts, Lieven; Diop, Loty; Fall, Talla; Barba, Francisco; Brander, Rebecca L.; et al. 2026. The impact of a continuum of care intervention from prevention to treatment on child wasting compared to usual community group activities: A cluster randomized controlled trial in Mali. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 123(6): 101294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101294

Country/Region

Mali

Keywords

Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Western Africa; Capacity Building; Child Wasting; Disease Prevention; Disease Management; Randomized Controlled Trials; Food Supplements; Integrated Disease Management; Interventions; Screening

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101294 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Transform Nutrition West Africa builds knowledge for decision-makers
Issue Post
 | 
March 07, 2025

Transform Nutrition West Africa builds knowledge for decision-makers

By Tamsin Zandstra, Roos Verstraeten, Ampa Dogui Diatta, Loty Diop, and Mariama Touré

Transform Nutrition West Africa (TNWA), led by IFPRI and funded by the Gates Foundation (2017–2021), served as a regional platform to support effective policy and programmatic actions to improve maternal and child nutrition in West Africa, focusing on Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Burkina Faso.

News

July 31, 2025 | Press Release

New study finds behavior change communication and nutrition supplements can help prevent relapse from child wasting

The study, published in The Journal of Nutrition, used longitudinal data from two cluster-randomized trials in Burkina Faso and Mali, the PROMIS project.

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