Impact evaluation of child nutrition programmes

Review of current practices and recent developments in impact evaluation of nutrition programmes for preschool children in developing countries. A survey of the major types of nutrition programmes for young children - nutrition education, food supplementation, and nutrition rehabilitation - is followed by a discussion of the problems confronting impact evaluation. Firstly, methodological difficulties often weaken the power of the evaluation or restrict its scope. Secondly, the effects of most nutrition interventions are at best modest. Finally, nutrition programmes in tropical countries usually operate in a great variety of cultural settings, which not only raises practical implementation problems, but also have a strong bearing on the interpretation of evaluation findings. It is argued that impact evaluation cannot be a final arbiter, but it may contribute to a definition of the optimal combination of local conditions and type of assistance offered. Notes, ref., sum