Ickes S.B., Adair L.S., Brahe C.A., Thirumurthy H., Charles B., Myhre J.A., Bentley M.E., Ammerman A.S.
Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, United States; Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda; World Harvest Mission East Africa, Kijaabe, Kenya; 114 Adair Hall, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA, United States
Ickes, S.B., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, United States, 114 Adair Hall, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA, United States; Adair, L.S., Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Brahe, C.A., Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, United States; Thirumurthy, H., Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Charles, B., Makerere University School of Public Health, Kampala, Uganda; Myhre, J.A., World Harvest Mission East Africa, Kijaabe, Kenya; Bentley, M.E., Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Ammerman, A.S., Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) can help treat undernutrition; however, the dietary adequacy of children supplemented with LNS, and household utilisation patterns are not well understood. We assessed diet adequacy and the quality of complementary foods by conducting a diet assessment of 128 Ugandan children, ages 6-59 months, who participated in a 10-week programme for children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM, defined as weight-for-age z-score<-2). Caregivers were given a weekly ration of 650kcalday-1 (126gday-1) of a peanut/soy LNS. Two 24-h dietary recalls were administered per child. LNS was offered to 86% of targeted children at least once. Among non-breastfed children, over 90% met their estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-points for all examined nutrients. Over 90% of breastfed children met EAR cut-points for nutrient density for most nutrients, except for zinc where 11.7% met cut-points. A lower proportion of both breastfed and non-breastfed children met adjusted EARs for the specific nutritional needs of MAM. Fewer than 20% of breastfed children met EAR nutrient-density guidelines for MAM for zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. Underweight status, the presence of a father in the child's home, and higher programme attendance were all associated with greater odds of feeding LNS to targeted children. Children in this community-based supplemental feeding programme who received a locally produced LNS exhibited substantial micronutrient deficiencies given the special dietary needs of this population. These results can help inform programme strategies to improve LNS targeting, and highlight potential nutrient inadequacies for consumers of LNS in community-based settings. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.