Complementary food supplementation with a small-quantity of lipid-based nutrient supplements prevents stunting in 6-12-month-old infants in rural West Madura Island, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Stunting during childhood is a common public health problem in Indonesia. Complementary food supplementation with a small quantity of lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNSs) can promote growth and prevent undernutrition. This study investigated the effects of the daily provision of SQ-LNSs and biscuits on linear growth and reduction in the incidence of stunting among infants in rural Indonesia.

METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN

A 6-month, non-randomised, controlled trial was conducted on 168 infants who received 20 g of SQ-LNSs, 3 pieces of biscuits, or no intervention. The outcome was length gain and incidence of stunting (length-age-z score (LAZ) <-2SD) during a 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS

After the 6-month intervention, the adjusted length gain and change in the LAZ (8.57 cm and -0.09 z-score unit, respectively) were higher in the SQLNS group than in the control (7.15 cm and -0.87 z-score unit, respectively) and biscuit groups (7.79 cm and -0.46 z-score unit, respectively; p<0.01). The rate of length gain was significantly higher in the SQ-LNS group (1.43 cm/month; 95% CI: 1.12-1.26) than in the biscuit (1.29 cm/month, 95% CI: 1.23-1.36) and control groups (1.19 cm/month, 95% CI: 1.12-1.26; p<0.01). At the end study, the incidence of stunting in SQ-LNS group was lower (1.8%) than in the biscuit group (8.5%) and control group (14.6%). In the SQ-LNS group, the relative risk (RR) of stunting was 0.35 and in the biscuit group (0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

SQ-LNSs improved linear growth and reducing the incidence of stunting over 6-months intervention.