부산대학교 도서관

BackgroundMicronutrient deficiencies including vitamin A, vitamin D, and zinc are highly prevalent in children below 5 years of age in low and –middle-income countries. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of ready-to-use Lipid-based Nutrient Supplement—Medium Quantity (LNS-MQ) local name “Wawa-mum” on plasma micronutrient status, hemoglobin concentration and anthropometric measurements.MethodsA community-based non-randomized trial was conducted in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January 2018 to June 2019. A total of 110 children aged 6 to 23 months old were recruited and allocated to the intervention and control arm of the study. A total of 57 children in the intervention arm received a daily ration of 50 g of Wawa-mum, for one year. To assess the impact of the intervention on primary outcome measures, i.e., serum vitamin A, D concentration, plasma zinc, and hemoglobin concentration. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after one year following the intervention. The vitamins concentration in serum were assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and plasma zinc by atomic absorption spectrometry. The hemoglobin concentration was measured by an automated hematology analyzer. A 24-h dietary recall interview was used to assess the nutrient intake adequacy. Multivariate Linear regression models were used to analyze the outcomes while controlling for potential confounders.ResultsIn the intervention arm, children had on average 6.2 μg/dL (95% CI 3.0–9.3, value of p