Researchers analyzed data from 2,995 children after an intervention area received enhanced infant and young child feeding counseling and daily small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplementation for infants 6–12 months and a control area received the standard counseling package without the nutrient supplementation. The study found that the enhanced counseling and nutrient supplementation intervention using the existing health care delivery platform was associated with a reduction in prevalence of anemia and improvement in mean hemoglobin. There was no impact on stunting, wasting, and underweight indicators in the intervention or control groups, but children in the intervention group receiving three or more months of the nutrient supplementation showed improvements in length-for-age and weight-for-age scores as well as hemoglobin.
Addo, O. Yaw, Lindsey M. Locks, Maria Elena Jefferds, et al. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, September 2020