Low Birth Weight in South Asia, Trial Dataset, 2014-2015

Saville, Naomi M. (2025). Low Birth Weight in South Asia, Trial Dataset, 2014-2015. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Archive. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-853120

This (non-blinded) cluster randomised controlled trial assessed the impact on birth weight and weight-for-age Z-score in children aged 0–16 months of a nutrition Participatory Learning and Action behaviour change strategy (PLA) for pregnant women through women’s groups, with or without unconditional transfers of food or cash to pregnant women in two districts of southern Nepal. PLA comprised a series of open women’s group meetings which pregnant women were encouraged to attend. A Female Community Health Volunteer facilitated each group, supported by a nutrition mobiliser.
The groups (n=539) identified and prioritised problems associated with improving women’s intake of nutritious food in pregnancy, low birth weight and hand hygiene and implemented strategies for addressing these.

Data description (abstract)

This dataset was used to analyse the Low Birth Weight South Asia Trial (LBWSAT) cluster-randomised controlled trial. The trial generated data on maternal and child anthropometry, diet in pregnancy and early life, details of pregnancy, delivery and the first 1-2 years of life.
All women of reproductive age (10-49 years) resident in the study areas were invited to participate in monthly monitoring of whether they have had or missed their period. We interviewed (and at certain times weighed or measured) consenting women with a positive pregnancy test at the following times: an enrolment (usually 8-20 weeks gestation), in early pregnancy (8-31 weeks), late pregnancy (32 weeks to birth), at delivery (within 72 hours of birth where possible) and at 4-6 weeks after birth. This means that different variables in the dataset came from different data collection instruments, which had differing capture rates. We failed to capture as many birth weights within 72 hours as planned due to conflict in the data collection team.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Saville Naomi M.	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1735-3684

Contributors:

Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Saville Naomi M.	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1735-3684
Shrestha Bhim P.	Mother and Infant Research Activities, Nepal
Style Sarah	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2631-9565
Harris-Fry Helen	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2367-908X
Beard B. James	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6152-9723
Sen Aman	Mother and Infant Research Activities, Nepal
Jha Sonali	Mother and Infant Research Activities, Nepal	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5723-9950
Rai Anjana	Mother and Infant Research Activities, Nepal	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7430-3424
Copas Andrew	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8968-5963
Morrison Joanna	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9241-8863
Gram Lu	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3905-0465
Pulkki-Brännström Anni-Maria	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8723-8131
Skordis-Worrall Jolene	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8633-0208
Manandhar Dharma S.	Mother and Infant Research Activities, Nepal	http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8699-6774
Costello Anthony	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0460-4245
De Pee Saskia	World Food Programme	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0138-7118
Hall Andrew	Save the Children	http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-592X

Sponsors:

Department for International Development South Asia Research Hub

Grant reference:

PO 5675 UKaid from Department for International Development South Asia Research Hub.

Topic classification:

Health
Demography (population, vital statistics and censuses)

Keywords:

birth weight, Nepal, RCT, Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), women's groups, food transfer, cash transfer, weight-for-age z-score, pregnancy, nutrition in pregnancy, Super Cereal, fortified balanced energy protein (BEP) supplement

Project title:

Low Birth Weight South Asia Trial (LBWSAT) Nepal

Alternative title:

Low Birth Weight South Asia Trial (LBWSAT)

Grant holders:

Naomi M. Saville, Anthony Costello

Project dates:

From	To
1 September 2012	31 October 2015

Date published:

09 Apr 2018 11:31

Last modified:

08 Jan 2025 13:18

Coverage and Methodology

Temporal coverage:

From	To
4 June 2014	19 October 2015

Geographical area:

Dhanusha and Mahottari districts, plains of Nepal

Country:

Nepal

Spatial unit:

No Spatial Unit

Data collection method:

Participants were (mostly Maithili-speaking) pregnant women identified from 8 weeks’ gestation onwards, and their infants.
Face to face interviews were held with women and their 'guardians' (often mothers-in-law) at their home for all interactions except the cross-sectional endpoint survey which was conducted at a central data collection point in the community. After pregnancy verification, mothers could be followed up in early and late pregnancy, after delivery (ideally within 72 h but this occurred up to 42 days), after 42 days and (cross-sectionally) within 22 months of birth. All quantitative data collection was undertaken using Comm Care or ODK data collection platforms installed on Samsung galaxy Y mobile phones. The mobile phone questionnaires had build in jump sequences and range restrictions for quantitative answers such as dates, anthropometric readings and so on to limit implausible/ erroneous data entry. All women were identified with a QR-coded woman ID which had 3 digits appended to represent the pregnancy (in which LMP was coded). The QR code was scanned at the start of every interview to enable easy merging of cases by unique identifier.
Anthropometric readings were taken in duplicate (with a third reading if duplicates differed widely) using standard Tanita BD590 weighing scales for infant / child weights, Tanita solar weighing scales for adult weights, Seca measuring tapes and "Shorr" height / length boards for height or length.

Observation unit:

Individual

Kind of data:

Numeric

Type of data:

Cohort and longitudinal studies, Experimental data

Resource language:

English

Access and Administration

Data sourcing, processing and preparation:

Data were synchronised from mobile phones onto a cloud server and downloaded daily into csv files that were imported into stata and labelled using automated stata do files. Individual data files collected using the mobile phone forms were merged on the basis of pregnancy ID. There are a lot of missing values for variables which were collected using questionnaires which had low capture rates but that there are very few missing values for other variables that were collected at enrolment or during endpoint follow-up. Data were cleaned of implausible values in key variables use in analysis. All names and location variables were removed to anonymise the data. Certain variables were recoded to create indicator variables in STATA do files to make: (1) an asset score (generated from principal component analysis) (2) multi-dimensional poverty index (MPI), (3) age and previous pregnancy categories, (4) education categories (5) and categories of exposure to interventions. We hope that they will be used by scientists seeking to undertake novel analyses or to repeat the analyses of the trial. At the time of taking consent respondents agreed to allow others to use their non-personally identifiable data for other research, so secondary analyses are available.

Rights owners:

Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Saville Naomi M.	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1735-3684

Contact:

Name	Email	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Saville, Naomi M.	n.saville@ucl.ac.uk	UCL Institute for Global Health	http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1735-3684

Notes on access:

The Data Collection is available for download to users registered with the UK Data Service. All requests are subject to the permission of the data owner or his/her nominee. In order to gain access please fill in the data sharing agreement form available in this data depository and email it to Naomi Saville at n.saville@ucl.ac.uk (cc'ing in the ReShare inbox). Commercial Use is not permitted.

Publisher:

UK Data Archive

Last modified:

08 Jan 2025 13:18