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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.

researcher spotlight

Lilia Bliznashka

Lily Bliznashka is a Research Fellow in the Nutrition, Diets, and Health Unit. Her research focuses on assessing the effectiveness of multi-input nutrition-sensitive and nutrition-specific interventions and the mechanisms through which they work to improve maternal and child health and nutrition globally. She has worked in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

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Nutrition, Diets, and Health

Loty Diop

Senior Research Analyst

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Bio

Loty Diop is a Senior Research Analyst in the Nutrition, Health, and Diets Unit, based in Dakar, Senegal, where she works on projects that tackle food security and acute malnutrition. These projects involve assessing the nutritional status and micronutrient adequacy of the diets of vulnerable populations, as well as conducting in-depth analyses of the food environment.

Loty earned a BS in statistics and an MSc in public health.

Languages spoken: French, English

Google Scholar Citations

Publications

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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. 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. Article in Press. First published online on 25 March 2026. 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

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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

Blogs

Transform Nutrition West Africa builds knowledge for decision-makers
Issue Post
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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

Informing policies in four countries.

Events

Micronutrient Forum: 5th Global Conference
Series/Special Event

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November 9 to 13, 2020

Micronutrient Forum: 5th Global Conference

IFPRI is participating in the Micronutrient Forum’s 5th Global Conference on “Building New Evidence and Alliances for Improving Nutrition.” Food systems are at the heart of determining what people eat. Micronutrients are at the heart of the potential of food systems to deliver optimal health. The 2020 Micronutrient Forum conference will continue to cover the broad […]