Table 1.
Characteristics of 6–36-months-old Malawian children who participated in 24-h dietary recalls.
| Characteristic at Enrolment | 6–12 Months (n = 172) | 12–36 Months (n = 183) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masenjere (n = 87) | Limera (n = 85) | p Value | Masenjere (n = 91) | Limera (n = 92) | p Value | |
| Girls, % | 44 | 52 | 0.288 | 40 | 39 | 0.953 |
| Age, months 1 | 5.8 ± 0.3 | 5.8 ± 0.3 | 0.537 | 17.6 ± 3.8 | 18.0 ± 3.7 | 0.582 |
| Weight, kg 1 | 7.1 ± 0.7 | 7.1 ± 0.8 | 0.904 | 9.6 ± 1.3 | 10.0 ± 1.3 | 0.041 |
| Length/height, cm 1 | 63.9 ± 2.6 | 63.6 ± 2.3 | 0.365 | 76.4 ± 5.4 | 77.9 ± 4.7 | 0.055 |
| Mid-Upper Arm circumference (MUAC), cm 1 | 14.0 ± 0.9 | 14.1 ± 0.9 | 0.316 | 14.5 ± 0.8 | 17.8 ± 1.0 | 0.101 |
| Weight-for-length/height z score (WLZ/H) 1 | 0.3 ± 0.9 | 0.4 ± 0.9 | 0.395 | −0.1 ± 0.9 | 0.02 ± 0.9 | 0.329 |
| Height/Length-for-age z score (H/LAZ) 1 | −1.2 ± 1.1 | −1.3 ± 0.9 | 0.536 | −1.7 ± 1.3 | −1.3 ± 0.1 | 0.023 |
| Weight-for-age z score (WAZ)1 | −0.6 ± 0.8 | −0.5 ± 0.9 | 0.792 | −0.9 ± 0.9 | −0.6 ± 0.9 | 0.027 |
| % Lactulose excreted | 0.29 ± 0.2 | 0.25 ± 0.22 | 0.48 ± 0.32 | 0.39 ± 0.21 | 0.034 | |
| Stunted, % | 25 | 20 | 0.408 | 37 | 30 | 0.322 |
| Wasted, % | 0 | 0 | na | 1 | 2 | 0.567 |
| Underweight, % | 1 | 5 | 0.165 | 12 | 4 | 0.056 |
| Number of siblings 1 | 2.4 ± 1.9 | 2.6 ± 2.0 | 0.419 | 2.4 ± 1.8 | 3.0 ± 2.0 | 0.026 |
| Asset score 2 | 1.2 ± 1.2 | 0.9 ± 0.9 | 0.062 | 1.1 ± 1.1 | 0.9 ± 0.9 | 0.129 |
| Improved water source (borehole), % | 100 | 34 | <0.001 | 98.9 | 45 | <0.001 |
| Sleep with animals in bedroom, % | 43 | 15 | <0.001 | 32 | 23 | 0.191 |
| Household severely food insecure, % 3 | 52 | 61 | 0.211 | 46 | 49 | 0.709 |
| Characteristic at end of study | ||||||
| Change in WLZ/H 1 | −0.4 ± 0.9 | 0.01 ± 0.6 | <0.001 | −0.4 ± 0.8 | −0.2 ± 0.7 | 0.080 |
| Change in H/LAZ 1 | −1.6 ± 0.9 | −1.3 ± 0.8 | 0.037 | −1.5 ± 0.8 | −1.3 ± 0.9 | 0.084 |
| Change in WAZ 1 | −1.1 ± 0.7 | −0.6 ± 0.7 | <0.001 | −1.1 ± 0.9 | −0.8 ± 0.8 | 0.024 |
| % Lactulose excreted | 0.24 ± 0.17 | 0.21 ± 0.16 | 0.183 | 0.48 ± 0.25 | 0.47 ± 0.33 | 0.701 |
| Stunted, % | 41 | 27 | 0.048 | 30 | 33 | 0.668 |
| Wasted, % | 2 | 0 | 0.160 | 2 | 0 | 0.153 |
| Underweight, % | 17 | 4 | 0.003 | 21 | 5 | 0.002 |
| Developed acute malnutrition, % | 4 | 1 | 0.335 | 5 | 1 | 0.150 |
Student’s t-test was used for continuous variables and Chi-square test for categorical variables. 1 Values are means ± standard deviations. na= not available. 2 Asset score was defined as the sum of household items owned (radio, bicycle and iron sheet roof) with each item scoring 1 on the scale [48]. Improved water sources are defined as use of water from boreholes, since they are constructed to protect the water from outside contamination, particularly fecal matter [49]. 3 Severe food insecurity is defined as households that lacked resources to buy food, had no food in the home and went to sleep hungry one or more times per month [50]. na = not available.