A randomized pilot trial of micronutrient supplementation for under-5 children in an urban low-cost flat community in Malaysia: A framework for community-based research integration
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2022
Abstract
Early childhood nutritional deficiency has detrimental consequences on physical and cognitive development. We conducted a single-center, single-blind, two-arm pilot randomized no-treatment controlled trial (the Child of Urban Poverty Iron Project (CUPIP); NCT03819530) in a people's housing project locale in Selangor, Malaysia, between September 2019 and February 2020, to assess the trial's general feasibility and preliminary benefits of daily micronutrient supplementation for iron storage and anthropometric outcomes in under-5 children. Those with history of premature births, congenital abnormalities, or baseline hemoglobin <70 g/L were excluded. Participants received baseline deworming and were simply randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either micronutrient (4-month daily micronutrient packets) or control (no micronutrient supplementation) groups. Information on anthropometric, erythrocytic, and iron storage endpoints were collected. Overall, 45 (25 micronutrient and 20 controls) participants were enrolled and completed 4-month endpoint assessments. Micronutrient recipients demonstrated higher median mean corpuscular volume, serum ferritin level with no significant differences in all anthropometric endpoints. In conclusion, this pilot trial was implementable, demonstrating that micronutrient supplementation significantly improved hematological, but not anthropometric, endpoints, of under-5-year-old children living in an underprivileged environment. A definitive well-designed trial with larger sample sizes and greater attrition control should be contemplated in the future.
Keywords
Child nutrition, Pilot trial, Stunting, Micronutrient supplementation program, Intervention program, Urban poverty, Malaysia
Divisions
paediatrics
Funders
Sysmex Asia Pacific Clinical Study Agreement (SAP) CSA190716,Malaysian Pediatric Association MPA 20190721
Publication Title
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume
19
Issue
21
Publisher
MDPI
Publisher Location
ST ALBAN-ANLAGE 66, CH-4052 BASEL, SWITZERLAND