Research Design
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
Study subjects: 6-18 month-old babies and their caregivers; 449 children
Outcome measures: Hemoglobin concentrations (measure of anemia); Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Version III (Bayley-III); caregiver-reported child health measures
Project duration: 12 months
Intervention
Caregivers in the treatment group were given a supply of micronutrient supplement packets (directly given to them within their homes, without needing to seek out the product themselves), and instructed to give them to their children daily.
Impact
Significant decrease in rate of anemia after 6 months of supplementation, but not thereafter
Significant increase in cognitive outcomes after 6 months, but not thereafter.
Takeaways
Micronutrient supplement packets were moderately effective, but not sufficient to resolve either the anemia or the developmental delays in the long-run
Low compliance: Many families in treatment group, did not give the packets to their children, or started to give the packets but then for some reason discontinued.
Citation
Luo, R., Yue, A., Zhou, H., Shi, Y., Zhang, L., Martorell, R., … & Sylvia, S. (2017). The effect of a micronutrient powder home fortification program on anemia and cognitive outcomes among young children in rural China: a cluster randomized trial. BMC public health, 17(1), 738.
