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Impact evaluation of the Nutritional Support Program (PAL by its Spanish acronym) on food diversity and consumption of iron‐rich or iron‐fortified foods in 6–23 month‐old children

Micronutrient deficiencies in the first two years of life have adverse developmental and health effects. Part of the cause is complementary feeding (CF) of low nutritional quality. In order to prevent malnutrition in the most vulnerable individuals, the Mexican state has implemented the Nutritional Support Program, which is directed towards small communities with fewer services and includes conditional distribution of food or monetary transfers and education. The impact of PAL was evaluated in minimum dietary diversity and consumption of iron‐rich or iron‐fortified foods indicators. A longitudinal sample of 168 communities was analyzed using the double‐difference method with fixed effects at the community level. Baseline values for children aged 6–23 months of (n=664 children, 591 households) were compared with values for children aged 6–23 months who live in the same communities after 18 months from the start of the intervention (n=478 children, 368 households). PAL, in its ‘provisions without education’ modality, increased the prevalence of consumption of iron‐rich foods by 31 percentage points (PP), (p<0.01) and by 25 PP (p<0.01) for minimum dietary diversity in children aged 6–23 months when compared to the control group. Social programs based on conditioned provision of foods that are fortified with iron and multiple micronutrients contribute to improving CF practices. Funding for the study was obtained from the Mexican Secretariat of Social Development.