Table 4.
Effect of food fortification on change in haematological markers and growth indices
| Paired differences | Sprinkle (Mean±SD) | Control (Mean±SD) | Mean difference (95% CI) | p value | Fortified complementary food (Mean±SD) | Control (Mean±SD) | Mean difference (95% CI) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haematological markers | (n=62) | (n=48) | (n=66) | (n=48) | ||||
| Hb (g/dL) | 0.37±1.1 | 0.23±1.3 | 0.15 (-0.29,0.59) | 0.5 | 1.29±1.6 | 0.23±1.3 | 1.07 (0.51,1.62) | <0.001 |
| HCT (%) | 0.65±2.7 | 0.85±3.2 | −0.20 (-1.3,0.9) | 0.7 | 3.20±4.4 | 0.85±3.2 | 2.41 (0.91,3.90) | 0.002 |
| MCV (fl) | −0.008±8.8 | 1.57±6.8 | −1.58 (-4.67,1.50) | 0.3 | 4.30±8.3 | 1.57±6.8 | 2.71 (-0.21,5.64) | 0.07 |
| RDW (%) | −0.63±2.8 | −0.98±2.7 | 0.34 (-0.71,1.4) | 0.5 | −1.25±2.5 | −0.98±2.7 | −0.26 (-1.24,0.71) | 0.59 |
| Growth indices | (n=49) | (n=53) | (n=59) | (n=53) | ||||
| WLZ | 0.91±0.99 | 0.66±0.81 | 0.25 (-0.11,0.62) | 0.17 | 0.79±0.86 | 0.66±0.81 | 0.13 (-189,0.453) | 0.4 |
| WAZ | 0.65±0.79 | 0.52±0.67 | 0.12 (-0.17,0.40) | 0.4 | 0.72±0.81 | 0.52±0.67 | 0.19 (-0.85,0.48) | 0.17 |
| LAZ | −0.22±0.46 | −0.21±0.47 | −0.003(-0.19,-0.18) | 0.97 | −0.05±0.49 | −0.21±0.47 | 0.16 (-0.02,0.34) | 0.07 |
| Weight velocity (kg/yr) | 1.45±0.53 | 1.39±0.35 | 0.06 (-0.12,0.24) | 0.5 | 1.51±0.51 | 1.39±0.35 | 0.12 (-0.39,0.28) | 0.14 |
| Length velocity (cm/yr) | 4.20±1.50 | 4.50±1.20 | −0.30 (-0.82,0.25) | 0.29 | 4.9±1.4 | 4.50±1.20 | 0.30 (-0.16,0.86) | 0.17 |
Hb=Haemoglobin; HCT=Haematocrit; MCV=Mean corpuscular volume; RDW=Red cell distribution width; WLZ=Weight-for-length; WAZ=Weigh-for-age; LAZ=Length-for-age