Consultancy (individual) to conduct Systematic Review of Interventions to Prevent Child Wasting

Background and Rationale

Globally, 45 million children under the age of five suffer from wasting at any given time. Wasting dramatically increases the risk of death, killing 875,000 under-fives annually. The Sustainable Development Goals committee has expressed the commitment to reduce wasting from its current prevalence of 6.8% to less than 3% by 2030. However, the prevalence of wasting remains stubbornly high in many countries, including in Mali (10.6%), Ethiopia (6.8%), and Bangladesh (9.8%). Wasting trends suggest that the WHA target will not be met in these countries, despite the commitment expressed in their nutrition policies to address wasting.

For the first time, the recently published WHO guideline on the prevention and management of wasting and nutritional edema (2023) includes the topic of wasting prevention. The guideline highlights the scarcity of information on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent wasting and reports several key evidence gaps. These include the need to: 1) assess the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multi-system and multi-sectoral interventions that address the context-specific causes of wasting; 2) identify simple yet effective targeting mechanisms to prevent wasting in high burden areas and subpopulations of children; and 3) understand and address program implementation challenges that impede the functioning and impacts of wasting prevention.

Testing innovative solutions to prevent wasting and to increase screening, treatment uptake and adherence, and prevent post-treatment relapse are urgently needed. The Joint UN Initiative for the Prevention of Wasting (JUNIPr) partnership between UNICEF, WFP, and WHO offers a unique opportunity to study the effectiveness of multi-system and multi-sectoral programs aimed at preventing wasting. As part of the formative research phase a systematic review of multi-system and multi-sectoral interventions aimed at preventing child wasting will be conducted.

Objectives and Scope of Work

As part of the formative research, these TORs describe the tasks for a consultancy to conduct a rapid review of the literature to summarize the evidence on preventive effect of interventions in the domains of food, health, WASH and health in children 0-23 months of age, specifically in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) following UNICEF’s Global Action Plan (GAP) on wasting[1]. The review has three specific objectives:

1. Summarize the evidence on the impact of multi-sectoral and multi-system preventive interventions on child wasting by conducting a review of reviews

2. Assess whether any of the studies included in these reviews applied criteria on the regional, community-, household-, caregiver-, or child-levels to target or intensify these preventive interventions

3. Review and summarize the evidence by delivery platform of these interventions using each of the included studies

In the case of multi-sectoral and/or multi-system preventive interventions, grey literature in English or French will be assessed for complementary information related to targeting and delivery platforms. If the most recent review retrieved on one or more preventive interventions was published before January 2024, a complementary review of more recent publications will be conducted. A systematic search in a wide range of available academic literature and public databases will be undertaken. For this purpose, a suitable search syntax will be developed in collaboration with IFPRI researchers.

This review will provide essential information on which interventions, both targeted and untargeted, have the potential to prevent child wasting. Furthermore, an overview will be provided by delivery platforms and associated actors that have implemented these preventive interventions.

Required Qualifications and skills

· PhD in Nutrition Science, Public Health Nutrition, Epidemiology, or related field

· At least 5 years of research experience on child nutrition in LMICs

· Familiarity with multi-system or multi-sectoral interventions relating to child wasting, including the systems/sectors of nutrition, WASH, health, or social protection interventions

· Prior experience conducting systematic reviews

· Proficiency in literature search tools and reference managers (e.g., EndNote, Mendeley)

· Proficient in English and French

· Strong analytical and writing capabilities

· Excellent skills in communication, time management and relationship management

Eligibility

IFPRI will recruit one or more individual consultants for this work. Applications from companies or institutes are not eligible. Consultants can team up to jointly submit a technical proposal. In such case, clearly indicate how tasks will be divided and propose a detailed budget per person.

Candidates should be available to start work as soon as possible. The contract will be for a period of up to 70 business days, with at least 20-40 hours a week, with applicants expected to commit at least 20 hours a week to the project. A daily rate will be discussed between final candidates and IFPRI.

Timeline

Start date: as soon as possible

End date: October 30th 2025

Deliverables

The deliverable will be a short report containing summary tables containing detailed information on population, intervention modalities and components, control group or standard of care, child-level outcomes, and impacts on child wasting using previously conducted reviews[2] on interventions to prevent child wasting. Summary tables containing detailed information on population, intervention modalities and components, intervention delivery platforms, control group or standard of care, child-level outcomes, and impacts on child wasting using evaluations of multi-sectoral and multi-system programs identified by previous systematic reviews. The main findings will be described and discussed. In addition, results will be ordered and discussed by delivery platform and by any targeting criteria applied by the included studies.

Submission Requirements

Interested consultants are invited to submit the following:

- Resume of the consultant(s)

- Cover letter highlighting the qualifications of the consultant(s)necessary for this contract (1p)

- A one-pager containing a workplan and proposed rate(s) in USD. In case of multiple consultants who are part of one submission, clarify who will be responsible for which tasks and specify the level of effort for each team member.

- Names and contact details of references

[1] https://www.unicef.org/media/96991/file/Global-Action-Plan-on-Child-Wasting.pdf

[2] Including studies published in the last 24months not included in any of the available reviews