Maternal and child undernutrition remain major global health concerns, despite modest progress. This review examines the effects of four types of nutrition-sensitive interventions—cash or food transfers, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and school nutrition programs—on maternal and child nutrition outcomes and dietary diversity.
Evidence was synthesized from 260 quantitative studies and 72 targeted articles, using meta-analyses for cash transfers and agricultural interventions and narrative synthesis for other programs. Findings indicate that cash transfers, particularly those including nutrition-specific elements or behavior change communication, and certain agriculture programs can improve dietary diversity. Homestead food production may reduce anemia, school feeding can enhance anthropometric outcomes, and WASH interventions are most effective when integrated with other nutrition initiatives.
The review highlights that nutrition-sensitive programs can improve dietary diversity and support small but positive nutrition outcomes, emphasizing the need to integrate nutrition across social protection, agriculture, and education sectors to address the underlying determinants of malnutrition.