Impact of universal home visits on child health in Bauchi State, Nigeria: a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Nigeria is the second biggest contributor to global child mortality. Infectious diseases continue to be major killers. In Bauchi State, Nigeria, a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial tested the health impacts of universal home visits to pregnant women and their spouses. We present here the findings related to early child health. METHODS: The home visits took place in eight wards in Toro Local Government Authority, randomly allocated into four waves with a delay of 1 year between waves. Female and male home visitors visited all pregnant women and their spouses every 2 months during pregnancy, with a follow up visit 12–18 months after the birth. They presented and discussed evidence about household prevention and management of diarrhoea and immunisation. We compared outcomes among children 12–18 months old born to mothers visited during the first year of intervention in each wave (intervention group) with those among children 12–18 months old pre-intervention in subsequent waves (control group). Primary outcomes included prevalence and management of childhood diarrhoea and immunisation status, with intermediate outcomes of household knowledge and actions. Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE), with an exchangeable correlation matrix and ward as cluster, tested the significance of differences in outcomes. RESULTS: The analysis included 1796 intervention and 5109 control children. In GEE models including other characteristics of the children, intervention children were less likely to have suffered diarrhoea in the last 15 days (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30–0.53) and more likely to have received increased fluids and continued feeding in their last episode of diarrhoea (OR 6.06, 95% CI 2.58–14.20). Mothers of intervention children were more likely to identify lack of hygiene as a cause of diarrhoea (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.27–3.95) and their households had better observed hygiene (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.45–7.45). Intervention children were only slightly more likely to be fully immunised (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.78–3.57). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence-based home visits to both parents stimulated household actions that improved prevention and management of childhood diarrhoea. Such visits could help to improve child health even in settings with poor access to quality health services. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN82954580. Date: 11/08/2017. Retrospectively registered. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-021-07000-3.