The Efficacy of a Structured Radio-Based Nutrition Education Intervention on Complementary Feeding Practices and Infant Growth in Rural Burkina Faso: A Systematic Review

In rural Burkina Faso, suboptimal complementary feeding practices are a key contributor to infant malnutrition. Local radio, as a widely accessible medium, offers a potential platform for delivering scalable nutrition education to caregivers in remote communities. This systematic review aimed to synthesise evidence on the efficacy of structured, radio-based nutrition education interventions for improving complementary feeding practices and infant growth outcomes among children aged 6-24 months in rural Burkina Faso. A systematic search of multiple academic databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Included studies were peer-reviewed, experimental or observational, and evaluated radio-delivered nutrition education interventions. Study screening, selection, and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. The risk of bias was assessed using appropriate tools. The search identified a limited number of relevant studies. Synthesis indicates that radio-based interventions can positively influence caregivers' knowledge on complementary feeding. However, evidence for a direct, significant impact on infant growth outcomes, such as reductions in stunting or underweight, was inconsistent and of variable methodological quality. Radio-based education shows promise for improving knowledge in this context. Its standalone efficacy in translating knowledge into sustained practice change and improved infant growth, however, remains uncertain based on the current evidence. Future interventions should consider integrating radio messaging with complementary community-based support mechanisms. More robust, longitudinal research with standardised outcome measures is required to definitively assess the impact on child growth. complementary feeding, nutrition education, radio, infant growth, Burkina Faso, systematic review This review consolidates existing evidence on a specific, scalable intervention strategy for a critical public health issue in West Africa, identifying key evidence gaps to inform future programme design and research.