Effects of an energy and micronutrient supplement on anthropometry in undernourished children in Indonesia

Abstract

This paper reports the effects of early supplementary feeding on body weight, length, head circumference and arm circumference among the children in the Pangalengan study. Two cohorts of children were randomly assigned to three treatments: E = 1171 kJ + 12 mg iron; M = 209 kJ + 12 mg iron; S = 104 kJ. Supplementation was given for 12 months. The sites were six tea plantations in Pangalengan, West Java. A 12-month-old (n = 53) and an 18-month-old (n = 83) cohort were recruited from day-care centers. Twenty children that received S belonged to the 12- and 18-month cohorts. Inclusion criteria were: no chronic disease; length-for-age < or = -1 standard deviation (s.d.) and weight-for-length between -1 and -2 s.d. of the median of the reference of the World Health Organization. Length was measured with a portable measuring board; a Detecto scale with an accuracy of 0.1 kg was used for the measurement of body weight. Arm and head circumferences were measured using similar fiberglass tapes. Body weight showed effects on both cohorts at 2, 8 and 12 months; head circumference showed effects at 4 months in the 12-month-old cohort and at 10 months among the females of the 18-month-old cohort; and arm circumference showed effects across cohorts at 2, 8 and 12 months. In general the benefits are clearer for females and for the 12-month-old cohort.