Department of Biostatistics, St. John's Medical College, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, India. Email:
Division of Nutrition, St. John's Research Institute, St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences, Bengaluru, India.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2020;29(2):355-362. doi: 10.6133/apjcn.202007_29(2).0018.
The efficacy of nutrient interventions to prevent/reverse stunting is considered to be restricted to early life. Whether such interventions are equally effective in later childhood is not clear. The present study evaluated the effect of a food-based high-quality protein and micronutrient intervention on the linear growth of Indian primary school children.
A secondary analysis of a one-year milkprotein and micronutrient fortified food product intervention (protein-energy ratio: 12.8%) on the height of 550 children aged 6-10 years, of poor-socioeconomic background, was carried out. Height and weight increments were compared between groups of each year of age using multiple linear regression. Comparisons in prevalence of stunting and underweight between these groups was also made.
The overall mean height increment at the end of 1-year was 6.10±1.07 cm, the highest being for 6-year olds (6.38±0.84 cm). The mean height increments in 6, 7 and 8-year-olds were significantly higher (all p<0.05) than the expected median growth. Height-forage score increased across all age-groups (by 0.14±0.18) and was significantly higher in 6-year olds compared to the rest. Stunting reduced by 12% in 6- year olds in comparison to the older age-groups. No significant association was observed between height gain and gender. The increased BMI-for-age scores were significantly lower for the 6-year olds compared to older children.
Food supplements containing high-quality protein (like milk) along with micronutrients, can continue to influence height of children even in primary school, although the most effect is seen in younger children.
营养干预措施预防/逆转发育迟缓的效果被认为仅限于生命早期。这些干预措施在儿童后期是否同样有效尚不清楚。本研究评估了一种基于食物的高质量蛋白质和微量营养素干预措施对印度小学生线性生长的影响。
对为期一年的乳蛋白和微量营养素强化食品干预（蛋白质-能量比：12.8%）对 550 名 6-10 岁、社会经济背景较差的儿童身高的影响进行了二次分析。使用多元线性回归比较了每年组之间的身高和体重增量。还比较了这些组之间发育迟缓的患病率和体重不足。
一年结束时的总体平均身高增长为 6.10±1.07cm，6 岁儿童最高（6.38±0.84cm）。6、7 和 8 岁儿童的平均身高增长明显高于（均 p<0.05）预期的中位数增长。所有年龄组的身高-年龄得分均有所增加（增加 0.14±0.18），6 岁儿童的得分明显高于其他年龄组。与年龄较大的年龄组相比，6 岁儿童的发育迟缓减少了 12%。身高增长与性别之间没有明显的关联。与年龄较大的儿童相比，6 岁儿童的 BMI-年龄得分增加明显较低。
含有高质量蛋白质（如牛奶）和微量营养素的食物补充剂即使在小学阶段也可以继续影响儿童的身高，尽管对年幼儿童的影响最大。
