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Efficacy of a multi-micronutrient dietary intervention based on haemoglobin, hair zinc concentrations, and selected functional outcomes in rural Malawian children

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 1176–1185 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of enhancing the content and bioavailability of micronutrients in diets of stunted rural Malawian children on their growth and body composition, morbidity, anaemia and hair zinc concentrations.

Design: A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control group involving 410 intervention and 220 control children aged 30–90 months.

Setting and subjects: Children from two intervention and two control villages in Mangochi District, Southern Malawi participated in a 6 month dietary intervention. Anthropometry, malarial screening, haemoglobin, and hair zinc were measured at baseline and after 12 months, as well as socio-economic status at baseline, and common infections monthly post-intervention.

Results: Groups were comparable at baseline. Post-intervention children had greater Z-scores for lean body mass (mid-upper arm circumference −0.75 vs −1.05; arm muscle area: 0.63 vs −1.03, P<0.001) than controls but Z-scores for weight-for-height and height-for-age were similar. After controlling for baseline variables, mean haemoglobin was higher (107 vs 102 g/l, P<0.01), whereas the incidence of both anaemia (62 vs 80%) and common infections (based on a median overall illness score for fever, diarrhoea, upper and lower respiratory infections) were lower in intervention compared to controls, with no change in hair zinc concentrations or malaria status post-intervention.

Conclusion: Improvements in the micronutrient adequacy of diets of post-intervention children were associated with a favourable increase in indices of lean body mass and reductions in the incidence of anaemia and common infections in these rural Malawian stunted children.

Sponsorship: Canadian International Development Agency through Micronutrient Initiative, UNICEF Malawi, World Vision Malawi. SmithKline Beecham donated albendazole.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to the people of the communities, and our co-investigators (Beatrice Mtimuni, Timothy Cullinan, Nancy Drost), who implemented the intervention and oversaw the community development aspects of the project. Thanks also to our federal collaborators at the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Community Services. Our Malawian programme staff the late W Makwenda, L Gonani and M Kulumunyu, field staff and our consultatory committee members from the Ministries of Health, Agriculture and Community Services and Save the Children US were crucial to the success of the programme. Thanks to SmithKline Beecham for donating the albendazole.

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Author notes

  1. F Yeudall

    Present address: School of Nutrition, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, M5B 2K3, ON, Canada

  2. F Yeudall and RS Gibson: Guarantors:F Yeudall, RS Gibson.

  3. F Yeudall, RS Gibson, C Kayira and E Umar: Contributors: RSG was responsible for the concept and planning. FY designed the data collection tools and carried out the field work, with the assistance of CK and EU. FY and RSG analysed the data and prepared the manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

    F Yeudall & RS Gibson

  2. Department of Community Health, College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Malawi

    C Kayira & E Umar

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  1. F Yeudall
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  2. RS Gibson
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Correspondence to RS Gibson.

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Yeudall, F., Gibson, R., Kayira, C. et al. Efficacy of a multi-micronutrient dietary intervention based on haemoglobin, hair zinc concentrations, and selected functional outcomes in rural Malawian children. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 1176–1185 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601469

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