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A Behavioral Intervention Increases Consumption of a New Biofortified Food by School Children: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

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Title A Behavioral Intervention Increases Consumption of a New Biofortified Food by School Children: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria
 
Creator Just, D.R.
Okello, J.J.
Gabrielyan, G.
Adekambi, S.
Kwikiriza, N.
Abidin, P.E.
Carey, E.E.
 
Subject sweet potatoes
nutrition
vitamin a deficiency
behavioural sciences
children
 
Description Children's diets can have major implications for a wide range of diseases and their development outcomes. In Africa, micronutrient deficiency remains a major challenge and affects the health and development of vulnerable populations, especially children. A major effort to combat micronutrient deficiency has targeted biofortification of staple foods, with greatest potential being registered in the enrichment of, among others, sweetpotato with beta carotene-a precursor for vitamin A. However, overcoming vitamin A deficiency is made all the more complicated by children's general resistance to unfamiliar foods. We report the results of a field experiment in Nigerian schools designed to use behavioral techniques to promote consumption of an unfamiliar food: the pro-vitamin A rich orange-fleshed sweetpotato. We find that children eat more, on average, when the sweetpotato is introduced alongside behavioral nudges such as songs or association with aspirational figures. These results appear to conform to results found in a developed country context.
 
Date 2022-02
2021-08-28T07:11:14Z
2021-08-28T07:11:14Z
 
Type Journal Article
 
Identifier Just, D. R., Okello, J. J., Gabrielyan, G., Adekambi, S., Kwikiriza, N., Abidin, P. E., Carey, E. (2021). A Behavioral Intervention Increases Consumption of a New Biofortified Food by School Children: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria. The European Journal of Development Research. ISSN 1743-9728. 23 p.
1743-9728
https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114782
https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-021-00363-7
 
Language en
 
Rights CC-BY-4.0
Open Access
 
Format 23 p.
 
Publisher Springer Science and Business Media LLC
 
Source The European Journal of Development Research