Effects of nutrient fortified complementary food supplements on anemia of infants and young children in poor rural of Gansu / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the effectiveness of complementary food supplements with protein and multi-micronutrients on hemoglobin and anemia in infants and young children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In 5 poor counties of Gansu, 984 children aged 6-12 months were enrolled and divided into two groups. In addition to the usual home-made complementary food, all the children were fed one sachet of either Formula I or Formula II supplements each day. Protein and micronutrients were provided in Formula I, while the same energy intake was secured in Formula II as in Formula I. A massive dose of vitamin A was supplemented to all the children every 6 months. Hemoglobin test was done at the same time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Prevalence of anemia was about 35% in both Formula I and Formula II group at baseline, and there were no differences in hemoglobin concentration between the two groups. During the 6-month and 12-month supplementation, hemoglobin of children in Formula I group was higher than that in Formula II group (P < 0.05), and hemoglobin increase in Formula I group was significantly higher than that in Formula II group (P < 0.001). After 6- and 12-month supplementation, the prevalence of anemia in Formula I group dropped to 19.1% and 8.2% respectively, and it was 28.0% and 12.4% in Formula 2 group. The prevalence of anemia in Formula I group was significantly lower than that in Formula II group (P < 0.05). After adjusting age and hemoglobin level at baseline, the hemoglobin increase at age of 24 months in formula 1 group was higher (10.7 g/L vs 7.9 g/L, P < 0.0001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Micronutrient fortified complementary food supplements, with large-dose vitamin A, is effective for children aged 6-12 months in terms of iron deficiency prevention.</p>