WITHDRAWN: Longitudinal Study to Measure the Impact of a Maternal and Child Health/Nutrition Intervention on Maternal and Child Health and Cognitive Development across the Life-Course

The health and well-being of South Africa’s children depends on effectively intervening with the intersecting epidemics of alcohol, HIV, TB, and child malnutrition. The Philani Intervention Project (PIP) implements a “mentor mother” program, recruiting women from the community who have successfully raised thriving children despite adversity, and then training these women to serve as paraprofessional community health workers for home visiting among pregnant women and their families. The mentor mothers are trained in a pragmatic model of problem-solving and cognitive-behavioral techniques to address major community health challenges, including HIV/tuberculosis, malnutrition, and alcohol use. The Philani Mentor Mother model is a ‘real world’ model of intervention, with three decades of experience, as well as being non-stigmatizing and not perceived as identified with a single disease (such as HIV). In addition, the ‘real world’ nature of the PIP model allows the testing of models and theories of change in a way that will permit the effective scaling up throughout South Africa and beyond if successful. The original randomized control trial was conducted during 2009–2014 in three neighbourhoods in Khayelitsha, South Africa with mother and child dyads (n=940) who have been followed up at two weeks post-birth, 6, 12 and 18 months, 3 years, 5 year assessments and currently at 7.5 years post intervention. Analyses of these data revealed that the Philani intervention improved overall maternal and child health across a number of different outcomes, notably those related to HIV-prevention behaviors, breastfeeding, and child growth over 18 months; and maternal emotional well-being, child language development, and child growth over 36 months. Data collection for the 7.5 year follow up is on-going and preliminary data analyses will be discussed.