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

David Just, Julius J. Okello (), Gnel Gabrielyan, Souleimane Adekambi (), Norman Kwikiriza (), Putri E. Abidin () and Edward Carey ()
Additional contact information
Julius J. Okello: International Potato Center
Souleimane Adekambi: International Potato Center
Norman Kwikiriza: International Potato Center
Putri E. Abidin: International Potato Center
Edward Carey: International Potato Center

The European Journal of Development Research, 2022, vol. 34, issue 1, No 6, 124-146

Abstract: Abstract 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.

Keywords: Nigeria; Child nutrition; Sweetpotato; Vitamin A deficiency; Behavioral economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00363-7

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