Peer-reviewed article
Impact of an Oral Nutrition Supplement on the Nutritional Status of Stunted and At-Risk of Stunting Children: A Community-Based Intervention Trial
Sidra A. Al-Talib, Hamid Jan Jan Mohamed, Amal Krishna Mitra, Hans Van Rostenberghe, Siti Nur Haidar Hazlan et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study tested whether giving children aged 12–36 months a daily oral nutrition supplement improved their growth and nutrition. Over 180 days, 91 stunted and at-risk children in Malaysia received 510 mL of supplement daily. Children showed significant improvements in height-for-age scores, nutrient intakes, and the proportion of stunted children decreased by 38%.
Key points
- Mean height-for-age Z-score improved significantly over 180 days in both stunted and at-risk children (p < 0.001)
- Stunted children showed greater improvements than at-risk children (significant time-by-group interaction, p = 0.014)
- The number of stunted children declined by 37.8% (p = 0.003)
- Intakes of protein, vitamins D and C, B-complex vitamins, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron all improved significantly
- 91 children participated: 37 stunted (41%) and 54 at-risk of stunting (59%)
Limitations
This was a single-arm intervention study with no control group, so it cannot isolate the effect of the supplement from other factors. The study was conducted in one region of Malaysia, which may limit generalisability to other settings.
Abstract
Introduction: Stunting is associated with poor nutritional intake during early childhood. This study evaluated the effect of a daily intake of 510 mL of an oral nutritional supplement for 180 days on linear growth among children with stunting and at-risk of stunting aged 12–36 months. Methods: A community-based, single arm intervention was conducted among 91 children in Kelantan, Malaysia. The children at enrolment had height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) between <-1.0 SD to >-3 SD based on WHO Growth Standards. Anthropometric measurements were taken at baseline (T0), day-90 (mid-intervention), and day-180 (post-intervention). Nutrient intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls, and compliance was monitored via returned empty sachets. Results: The mean age of the children at baseline was 26.7 ± 6.5 months, with 37 (41%) being stunted and 54 (59%) were at-risk of stunting. After intervention, the linear growth (height-for-age Z-score) was significantly improved over time (p < 0.001) in both stunted and at-risk children. A significant time-by-group interaction (p = 0.014) indicated differential effects between the stunted and at-risk groups. Post-hoc analysis showed HAZ improvements from baseline (T0) to 180 days in stunted and at-risk groups (p < 0.001) with the stunted group having greater mean differences. The number of stunted children declined by 37.8% (p = 0.003). Nutrient intakes of protein, vitamins D, vitamin C, vitamin B-complex, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron improved significantly. Conclusion: Daily intake of 510 mL of oral nutrition supplement improved linear growth and nutrient intakes. These findings support the potential of targeted supplementation in addressing child growth faltering and micronutrient inadequacies.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
Problem
Stunting and growth faltering in young children aged 12–36 months due to poor nutritional intake
- Intervention
- Daily oral nutrition supplement of 510 mL administered for 180 days
- Population
- 91 children aged 12–36 months (mean 26.7 months) in Kelantan, Malaysia with height-for-age Z-scores between <-1.0 SD and >-3 SD
Key finding
Height-for-age Z-score improved significantly over time (p < 0.001) in both stunted and at-risk groups