Nutrients · 4 authors, 3 centres
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This systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluated positive deviance community-based interventions on malnutrition indicators in children under five. The meta-analysis found no significant differences between intervention and control groups on LAZ, WAZ, and WHZ, though the intervention group showed greater z-score improvements.
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized interventional studies evaluating positive deviance community-based approaches to reduce malnutrition in under-five children. Searches were conducted across Science Direct, Pubmed, Proquest, SAGE Journal, Web of Science, and Scopus. Data were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 with a random effects model, mean difference, and 95% confidence interval. The meta-analysis found no significant differences between the intervention and control groups on LAZ, WAZ, or WHZ indicators. The intervention group showed greater z-score increases than the control, but these did not reach statistical significance. The authors concluded that positive deviance interventions may serve as an alternative approach to improving nutritional status but noted that further research is needed to determine effective intervention duration.
