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The impact of three supplements with identical micronutrient content on morbidity in Mexican children
Author(s) -
Leroy Jef L,
GarcíaGuerra Armando,
Neufeld Lynnette
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.307.3
Subject(s) - medicine , micronutrient , pediatrics , nutritional supplementation , vomiting , diarrhea , randomized controlled trial , environmental health , demography , pathology , sociology
The objective of this analysis was to assess the impact of three types of nutrition supplements with identical micronutrient content on morbidity (>3 stools per day, dysentery, fever, severe cough, cough with mucus and/or vomiting) in children. Communities (18 per supplement) were randomly assigned to receive a fortified food (FF), syrup (SY) or Sprinkles (SK). Children 6 to 12 m of age, beneficiaries of the Oportunidades program in Mexico were eligible to participate. Supplements were delivered daily and compliance and morbidity were recorded. Appropriate statistical analyses for cluster randomized trials were used. Data on 480 children (6 to 12 mo at baseline) in the first 6 months of supplementation were analyzed (FF n=137; SY n=159; SK n=184). No statistically significant differences between groups were found at baseline. Children were ill 16 d on average. In unadjusted analysis, there were no statistically significant differences between supplementation groups in morbidity. When adjusting for season, age, sex and height‐for‐age Z‐score at baseline, lagged compliance was associated with lower morbidity (P<0.05). Ensuring adequate compliance with supplementation programs may lower child morbidity. The Oportunidades program funded this study and holds the rights to the data presented.