ArticlePublic health nutrition2025
Improving early childhood nutrition practices through parents' evening forums in rural Rwanda.
Article in Public health nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate early childhood nutrition knowledge and practices in Gicumbi District, Rwanda, and assess the potential of parents' evening forums as platforms for community-based nutrition education.
designThis study employed a mixed-methods design incorporating structured questionnaires (quantitative) and focus group discussions and interviews (qualitative). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Spearman's rank correlation to explore associations among participation, knowledge application and access barriers. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data to capture contextual insights and educational preferences.
settingThe study was conducted in Gicumbi District, a rural region in northern Rwanda, characterised by high malnutrition rates.
participants523 participants: 471 household heads completed questionnaires; 52 took part in focus group discussions and interviews.
resultsThe study revealed substantial knowledge gaps, with only 46 % of participants aware of the symptoms of malnutrition and just 32 % identifying nutrient-rich complementary foods. Despite 68 % of participants reporting social connection as a key motivator for joining parents' evening forums, logistical challenges such as time and travel barriers were cited by 41 % as constraints. Lectures were the most preferred teaching method (78 %), followed by cooking demonstrations (56 %). Qualitative findings emphasised the importance of local relevance, peer support and interactive learning for fostering participation and knowledge retention.
conclusionsParents' evening forums represent a viable and contextually appropriate platform for delivering early childhood nutrition education. Their expansion, alongside the integration of digital tools and tailored, experiential teaching approaches, could strengthen community engagement and address persistent malnutrition challenges in Rwanda and comparable settings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.