Impact of Spirulina corn soy blend on Iron deficient children aged 6-23 months in Ndhiwa Sub-County Kenya: a randomized controlled trial

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remains high in Kenya despite interventions. Twenty-seven percent of children aged 6 months-14 years are anemic, with low iron intake (7%) among children aged 6-23 months. Standard food interventions involve a corn soy blend (CSB), which is limited in micronutrients, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC nutrition 2021-11, Vol.7 (1), p.70-70, Article 70
Main Authors: Othoo, Dorothy Apondi, Ochola, Sophie, Kuria, Elizabeth, Kimiywe, Judith
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anemia
Carbohydrates
Caregivers
Children & youth
Childrens health
Dietary supplements
Energy
Intervention
Iron
Iron deficient children 6–23 months. Hematocrit. Randomized controlled trial. Intervention. Spirulina corn soy blend (SCSB)
Malnutrition
Nursing
Nutrition education
Nutrition research
Proteins
Vitamin deficiency
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Summary:Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) remains high in Kenya despite interventions. Twenty-seven percent of children aged 6 months-14 years are anemic, with low iron intake (7%) among children aged 6-23 months. Standard food interventions involve a corn soy blend (CSB), which is limited in micronutrients, and fortifiers are not accessible locally. Moreover, the use of spirulina as a strategy for mitigating IDA has not been adequately documented. This study compared the impact of a spirulina corn soy blend (SCSB) on IDA among children aged 6-23 months. A total of 240 children with IDA were randomly assigned to study groups at a ratio of 1:1:1 through lotteries, and caregivers and research assistants were blinded to group assignment. Dry-take-home SCSB, CSB and placebo flour (1.7 kg) was given to caregivers to prepare porridges using a flour water ratio of 1:4, producing 600 ml-700 ml of porridge to feed children 200 ml of porridge three times a day for 6 months. Impact was assessed as plasma hematocrit at baseline and after the study. Blood drawing, preparation and analysis were performed in accordance with approved procedures by the EthicsResearchCommittee. Monthly follow-up and data collection on dietary intake, anthropometry, morbidity and infant feeding practices were performed using questionnaires. Relative risk, magnitude of change and log-rank tests were used to compare the impact of the intervention, and significant differences were determined at P 
ISSN:2055-0928
2055-0928
DOI:10.1186/s40795-021-00472-w