Can weekly texts stop wasting in kids exposed to HIV?

NCT ID NCT06842732

Disease control Sponsor: University of Washington Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Aug 20, 2026 · Updated 3 times

Summary

This study tests whether a simple text-message system can help caregivers in Kenya spot and prevent malnutrition in children exposed to HIV. About 776 caregiver-child pairs will be split into two groups: one gets weekly SMS reminders to measure the child's arm and receive feeding tips, while the other gets standard care. The goal is to see if the SMS group has fewer cases of wasting, faster recovery, and fewer hospitalizations over six months.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Two-way SMS platform with nutrition education and caregiver-led mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) monitoring
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a low-cost, scalable way to prevent malnutrition and reduce hospitalizations in vulnerable children.
What could go wrong: This is a behavioral intervention, not a drug or cure. Success depends on caregiver engagement and phone access, and results may not apply outside Kenya.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 776 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jun 2025

Expected to finish

Jul 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

6 to 24 months

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria (HIV-exposed caregiver-child pairs): * Children aged 6 to 24 months all-inclusive with a MUAC ≥ 12.5cm at the date of recruitment * Children living with HIV or HIV-exposed uninfected children seen as outpatients in early infant detection (EID) or HIV-care clinics at the participating hospitals * The child's caregiver is willing and able to provide informed consent * The child's caregiver can read or write or has someone to help them read or write * The child's caregiver is planning to remain in the catchment area with their child for \> 6 months and willing to return to the health facility for 6-month follow up visits * The child's caregiver has access to a Safaricom phone line and provides a mobile phone number Inclusion Criteria (healthcare workers): \- Healthcare workers working in Homa Bay and Migori County Referral Hospitals, who have contact with pediatric inpatients Exclusion Criteria: * Children with moderate or severe wasting (MUAC \<12.5cm, weight-for-height z-score \<-2, or nutritional edema) at the time of eligibility screening * Children with a congenital condition that limit feeding or syndromes that prevents age-appropriate feeding * Child is enrolled in another study that the PI judges to compromise the aims of this study * Child's caregiver does not pass the second training after being unable to satisfactorily complete the first MUAC training. * Child's caregiver is under the age of 18 years.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Cachexia Child Nutrition Disorders HIV infectious disease nutritional deficiency disease prevention target

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Children exposed to HIV Malnutrition in children

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Can weekly texts stop wasting in kids exposed to HIV?

What the study statuses mean