A cluster-randomized trial determining the efficacy of caterpillar cereal as a locally available and sustainable complementary food to prevent stunting and anaemia

Study answer

What this study found

Caterpillar cereal did not reduce stunting or improve linear growth, but it did improve iron status. At 18 months, stunting was similar between groups (67% vs 71%, P=0.69), while haemoglobin was higher with caterpillar cereal (10.7 g/dl vs 10.1 g/dl, P=0.03) and anaemia was less common (26.0% vs 50.0%, P=0.006). Ferritin was lower in the cereal group than in control (145 ng/dl vs 187 ng/dl, P=0.03), and transferrin receptor, CRP, and body iron stores were not significantly different. The overall conclusion was that this locally produced complementary food may help prevent anaemia, but…

Study & population

This was a cluster-randomized trial in eight rural communities in Equateur Province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Intervention

Infants in the intervention arm received a daily caterpillar cereal supplement from 6 to 18 months of age in addition to the usual Congolese diet.

Key limitation

Attrition and incomplete outcome data were substantial: 111 infants were randomized per arm, but only 91 and 84 completed, and anthropometric data were available for 81 and 82.

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Original abstract