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With research staff from more than 70 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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David Spielman

David Spielman is the director of IFPRI’s Innovation Policy and Scaling Unit and has been with the institute since 2004. His research agenda covers a range of topics including agriculture and rural development policy; agricultural science, technology, and innovation; plant genetic resources and seed systems; agricultural extension and advisory services; and community-driven rural development.

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Elodie Becquey

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Elodie Becquey is a Senior Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit, based in the West and Central Africa office in Senegal. She has over 15 years of research experience in diet, nutrition, and food security in Africa. At IFPRI since 2013, she has conducted impact evaluation and implementation research on various nutrition and nutrition-sensitive programs in Africa. This work includes several evaluations of integrated interventions to prevent, detect, and/or treat child wasting, evaluation of a poultry value chain intervention, and evaluation of homestead food production. An expert on diet data analysis, she also studies the association between the healthiness of diets and engagement with the food environment in African contexts. She has experience working on populations of young children, school-age children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age in Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, and Tanzania. Before joining IFPRI, Elodie was a Postdoctoral Fellow with Helen Keller International and the University of California, Davis, and a PhD candidate at the French Institute of Research for Sustainable Development. Elodie obtained her PhD in epidemiology from the Pierre et Marie Curie Paris-6 University.

Languages: French, English

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Publications

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Journal Article

Preventing relapse from wasting: the role of sociodemographic, child feeding, and health care determinants and of wasting prevention interventions in Burkina Faso and Mali

2025Brander, Rebecca L.; Touré, Mariama; Becquey, Elodie; Ruel, Marie T.; Leroy, Jef L.; Huybregts, Lieven
Details

Preventing relapse from wasting: the role of sociodemographic, child feeding, and health care determinants and of wasting prevention interventions in Burkina Faso and Mali

Background Relapse among children treated for wasting is a major concern. We estimated the frequency and determinants of relapse to wasting in two populations exposed to PROMIS, an integrated wasting prevention and screening program. Methods Using longitudinal data from PROMIS trials in Burkina Faso and Mali, we calculated the incidence rate and period prevalence of relapse to wasting within 6 months in children who had ≥1 wasting episode ending when they were ≥6 months old for which they were treated and recovered (NBurkina Faso=247; NMali=220). We used backward elimination to select a multivariable model of sociodemographic, nutrition- and health-related determinants of relapse. We also evaluated if prevention interventions (behavior change communication (BCC) and/or small quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) were associated with relapse, adjusting for confounders and trial arm. Results Relapse incidence was 2.6 per child-year in Burkina Faso (N=291 episodes) and 1.6 per child-year in Mali (N=300 episodes). In both countries, being fed the recommended food frequency or iron-rich foods after recovering from wasting was associated with lower risk of relapse. In Mali, longer wasting episodes, lack of minimally diverse diet consumption, and several caregiver/household characteristics were associated with lower risk of relapse. In both countries, receipt of BCC after recovery from wasting was associated with lower risk of relapse (Incidence rate ratio [IRR]Burkina Faso = 0.51 [95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.30, 0.86]; IRRMali = 0.26 [95% CI = 0.11, 0.65]), as was receipt of SQ-LNS (IRRBurkina Faso = 0.33 [95% CI = 0.16, 0.70]; (IRRMali = 0.43 [95% CI = 0.19, 0.94]), after adjustments. Conclusion Children being discharged from wasting treatment are a well-defined vulnerable population who stand to benefit from targeted post-discharge preventive interventions. BCC that includes advice on optimal infant and young child feeding practices and SQ-LNS may help prevent wasting relapse in at-risk children.

Year published

2025

Authors

Brander, Rebecca L.; Touré, Mariama; Becquey, Elodie; Ruel, Marie T.; Leroy, Jef L.; Huybregts, Lieven

Citation

Brander, Rebecca L.; Toure, Mariama; Becquey, Elodie; Ruel, Marie T.; Leroy, Jef L.; and Huybregts, Lieven. 2025. Preventing relapse from wasting: the role of sociodemographic, child feeding, and health care determinants and of wasting prevention interventions in Burkina Faso and Mali. Journal of Nutrition 155(9): 2945-2954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.06.019

Country/Region

Burkina Faso; Mali

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Northern Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Child Feeding; Nutrition; Recuperation; Wasting Disease (nutritional Disorder)

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.06.019 Source record

Project

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Record type

Journal Article

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Preprint

Assessing equity in effects of nutritional supplementation for child growth, development, and anemia

2025
Ante-Testard, Pearl Anne; Arnold, Charles D.; Wessells, K. Ryan; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Ashorn, Per; Becquey, Elodie; Brown, Kenneth H.; Christian, Parul; Colford, John M.; Fernald, Lia C.H.
…more Galasso, Emanuela; Hess, Sonja Y.; Humphrey, Jean H.; Huybregts, Lieven; Iannotti, Lora L.; Luby, Stephen P.; Maleta, Kenneth; Null, Clair; Prendergast, Andrew J.; Weber, Ann M.; Ali, Hasmot; Ali, Shahjahan; Ashorn, Ulla; Bendabenda, Jaden; Chasekwa, Bernard; Diop, Loty; Dulience, Sherlie Jean-Louis; Jannat, Kaniz; Kumwenda, Chiza; Lartey, Anna; Le Port, Agnes; Leroy, Jef L.; Mangani, Charles; Matias, Susana; Mridha, Malay Kanti; Ntozini, Robert; Okronipa, Harriet; Ouedraogo, Jean-Bosco; Phuka, John; Rahman, Mahbubur; Ratsifandrihamanana, Lisy; Shaikh, Saijuddin; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Tavengwa, Naume; Touré, Mariama; Wolff, Patricia; Benmarhnia, Tarik; Stewart, Christine P.; Dewey, Kathryn G.; Arnold, Benjamin F.
Details

Assessing equity in effects of nutritional supplementation for child growth, development, and anemia

Undernutrition in early childhood causes stunted growth, cognitive delays, and anemia, with effects often magnified among children from the poorest households. Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) are effective in addressing undernutrition and improving child development. As momentum builds to scale up SQ-LNS for children aged 6-24 months in the Global South, a key concern is achieving equity in its distribution and outcomes. We performed equity analysis of individual participant data from 14 randomized controlled trials in nine countries (N=37,707 children) to assess SQ-LNS effects on child growth, development, and anemia across levels of an international wealth index. Benefits of SQ-LNS were consistent across the wealth spectrum, leading to similar improvements in child growth, development, and anemia regardless of wealth. However, such equal benefits of SQ-LNS did not erase large inequities in child growth and development between the poorest and wealthier households.

Year published

2025

Authors

Ante-Testard, Pearl Anne; Arnold, Charles D.; Wessells, K. Ryan; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Ashorn, Per; Becquey, Elodie; Brown, Kenneth H.; Christian, Parul; Colford, John M.; Fernald, Lia C.H.; Galasso, Emanuela; Hess, Sonja Y.; Humphrey, Jean H.; Huybregts, Lieven; Iannotti, Lora L.; Luby, Stephen P.; Maleta, Kenneth; Null, Clair; Prendergast, Andrew J.; Weber, Ann M.; Ali, Hasmot; Ali, Shahjahan; Ashorn, Ulla; Bendabenda, Jaden; Chasekwa, Bernard; Diop, Loty; Dulience, Sherlie Jean-Louis; Jannat, Kaniz; Kumwenda, Chiza; Lartey, Anna; Le Port, Agnes; Leroy, Jef L.; Mangani, Charles; Matias, Susana; Mridha, Malay Kanti; Ntozini, Robert; Okronipa, Harriet; Ouedraogo, Jean-Bosco; Phuka, John; Rahman, Mahbubur; Ratsifandrihamanana, Lisy; Shaikh, Saijuddin; Shamim, Abu Ahmed; Tavengwa, Naume; Touré, Mariama; Wolff, Patricia; Benmarhnia, Tarik; Stewart, Christine P.; Dewey, Kathryn G.; Arnold, Benjamin F.

Citation

Ante-Testard, Pearl Anne; Arnold, Charles D.; Wessells, K. Ryan; Adu-Afarwuah, Seth; Ashorn, Per; et al. 2025. Assessing equity in effects of nutritional supplementation for child growth, development, and anemia. MedRxiv preprint published July 7, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.05.25329064

Keywords

Equity; Supplements; Child Growth; Child Development; Anaemia; Lipids

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-ND-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.05.25329064 Source record

Record type

Preprint

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Journal Article

A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

2025Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; Gelli, Aulo
Details

A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial

Background Livestock production interventions can improve consumption of animal-source foods and diet diversity, which may lead to improved micronutrient adequacy. Objective We assessed the effectiveness on maternal and child dietary outcomes of SELEVER, a livestock intervention designed to improve diets in rural Burkina Faso through training and market facilitation to improve poultry production; women’s empowerment activities; and nutrition and hygiene behavior change communication. Methods For a nonblinded cluster-randomized controlled trial, we randomly assigned 30 communes to SELEVER and 30 communes to control, of which 15 communes served as control for a narrow sample. Fifteen households were randomly selected in two villages per commune; of which 12 were included in the narrow sample. In the wide sample, we used ANCOVA to assess SELEVER’s effectiveness on dietary diversity in index children aged 2-4 years at baseline and in their caregivers, and on minimum acceptable diet in their siblings aged 6-23 months at measurement. In the narrow sample, we used difference-in-difference to assess SELEVER’s effectiveness on vitamin A, iron, and zinc prevalence of adequate intakes (PA) and mean PA of 11 micronutrients in index children and caregivers. Results We enrolled 1,767 index children, 1,766 caregivers and 412 siblings aged 6–23 months at endline in the wide sample, and 1,054 caregiver-child dyads in the narrow sample. In the wide sample, exposure to program activities was higher but moderate in SELEVER communities, with limited effects on dietary knowledge and practices and no effects on diet outcomes. The narrow sample showed a negative effect on zinc PA in children (-26 percentage points, P=0.020), and no effect on other outcomes. Conclusions A program focused on improving the productivity of and demand for nutritious foods did not improve micronutrient adequacy. Implementation strategy and bottlenecks may have limited the system transformations needed to produce measurable shifts toward healthier diets. The study was registered on the ISCRCTN registry (ISRCTN16686478); details are available at https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16686478

Year published

2025

Authors

Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa Dogui; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; Gelli, Aulo

Citation

Becquey, Elodie; Diop, Loty; Diatta, Ampa D.; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Awonon, Josue; Ganaba, Rasmane; and Gelli, Aulo. 2025. A large-scale nutrition- and gender-sensitive poultry market-based program did not improve maternal and child diets in rural Burkina Faso: A cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Nutrition 155(6): 1909-1922. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.027

Country/Region

Burkina Faso

Keywords

Africa; Western Africa; Sub-saharan Africa; Children; Dietary Diversity; Poultry; Rural Areas; Trace Elements

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Links

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.04.027 Source record

Project

Agriculture for Nutrition and Health

Record type

Journal Article

Events

Beyond Treatment: Integrated Strategies to Prevent Child Wasting and post-treatment Relapse
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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April 1, 2026, 9:00 – 10:30 am

Beyond Treatment: Integrated Strategies to Prevent Child Wasting and post-treatment Relapse

Child wasting affects an estimated 42 million children at any given time, but over a year, between 240 and 295 million episodes of wasting occur.  Wasting, including severe wasting, is associated with approximately 850,000 child deaths annually and have livelong consequences for child health and development. Although effective outpatient treatment protocols exist, coverage remains below 30% […]

Confronting the Crisis of Child Wasting: Translating Evidence into Action and Policy
IFPRI at External Event

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January 27, 2026, 11:00 – 5:00 pm

Confronting the Crisis of Child Wasting: Translating Evidence into Action and Policy

The livestream will be available on this page on January 27, 2026 at 11:00am – 1:00pm CET / 5:00am – 7:00am EST. Please type your questions into the chat box for the Q&A session. Hosted by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), this exchange will bring together global and country partners, technical experts and […]

Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 Summit
IFPRI at External Event

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August 31 to September 5, 2025

Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 Summit

The Africa Food Systems Forum will host its annual summit in Dakar, Senegal, from August 31 to September 5, 2025. Africa’s Food Systems Forum, formerly AGRF, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. Africa […]

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