Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul;15(3):e12785.
doi: 10.1111/mcn.12785. Epub 2019 Mar 15.

Provision of low-iron micronutrient powders on alternate days is associated with lower prevalence of anaemia, stunting, and improved motor milestone acquisition in the first year of life: A retrospective cohort study in rural Ethiopia

Ashenafi Geletu  1   2 , Azeb Lelisa  3 , Kaleab Baye  1
Affiliations

Provision of low-iron micronutrient powders on alternate days is associated with lower prevalence of anaemia, stunting, and improved motor milestone acquisition in the first year of life: A retrospective cohort study in rural Ethiopia

Ashenafi Geletu et al. Matern Child Nutr. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Inappropriate complementary feeding contributes to growth faltering, anaemia, and cognitive impairments. Limited programmatic evidence exists on the effectiveness of low-iron micronutrient powders (MNPs) on anaemia and motor development when provided every other day in the first year of life. This study used an existing demonstration project to evaluate associations between exposure of low-iron MNPs, anaemia, and motor development of infants in Southern Ethiopia. Using a retrospective cohort design, 200 infants aged 9 to 12 months (98 MNP exposed; 102 unexposed) were recruited, and data on socio-economic characteristics, anthropometric measures, dietary diversity scores (DDS), haemoglobin concentrations, and motor development acquisition were collected, and MNP exposed and unexposed groups were compared. Logistic regressions were run to identify predictors of acquisition of motor development milestones. Sociodemographic characteristics and dietary diversity scores were similar between MNP exposed and unexposed groups. Provision of low-iron (6 mg) MNP every other day, for 3 months, was associated with reduced risk of anaemia and stunting and increased achievement of motor development. After adjusting for age, infants exposed to MNPs had a higher likelihood of standing alone (AOR = 3.1; 95% CI [1.53, 6.46]) and walking alone (4.9; 95% CI [2.12, 11.37]) than unexposed ones. Exposure to MNPs, DDS, stunting, and mothers education were associated with acquisition of motor development milestones. Provision of low-iron dose MNPs on alternate days is associated with lower prevalence of anaemia, stunting, and increased motor development achievements. Integrating routine monitoring of motor development milestones with growth monitoring and anaemia screening can inform nutrition interventions to support optimal brain development.

Keywords: anaemia; home fortification; iron; motor development.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Path diagram presenting mediation effect of micronutrient powder (MNP) exposure on motor milestone acquisition through increased haemoglobin concentration; Note: a and b coefficients define the indirect effect of MNP exposure on motor milestone acquisition through haemoglobin concentrations; c′ coefficient denotes the direct effect of MNP exposure on motor milestone acquisition
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abebe, Z. , Haki, G. D. , & Baye, K. (2018). Simulated effects of home fortification of complementary foods with micronutrient powders on risk of inadequate and excessive intakes in West Gojjam, Ethiopia. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 14(1), e12443 10.1111/mcn.12443 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Adu‐Afarwuah, S. , Lartey, A. , Brown, K. H. , Zlotkin, S. , Briend, A. , & Dewey, K. G. (2007). Randomized comparison of 3 types of micronutrient supplements for home fortification of complementary foods in Ghana: Effects on growth and motor development. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 86(2), 412–420. 10.1093/ajcn/86.2.412 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baye, K. , Guyot, J.‐P. , Icard‐Verniere, C. , & Mouquet‐Rivier, C. (2013). Nutrient intakes from complementary foods consumed by young children (aged 12–23 months) from North Wollo, northern Ethiopia: The need for agro‐ecologically adapted interventions. Public Health Nutrition, 16(10), 1741–1750. 10.1017/S1368980012005277 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Black, R. E. , Victora, C. G. , Walker, S. P. , Bhutta, Z. A. , Christian, P. , De Onis, M. , … Uauy, R. (2013). Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low‐income and middle‐income countries. The Lancet, 382(9890), 427–451. 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60937-X - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bruins, M. J. , Kupka, R. , Zimmermann, M. B. , Lietz, G. , Engle‐Stone, R. , & Kraemer, K. (2016). Maximizing the benefits and minimizing the risks of intervention programs to address micronutrient malnutrition: Symposium report. Maternal & Child Nutrition, 12(4), 940–948. 10.1111/mcn.12334 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms