Effect of 12-month intervention with lipid-based nutrient supplement on the physical activity of Malawian toddlers: a randomised, controlled trial
What this study found
LNS did not increase physical activity at 18 months. Mean vector magnitude counts/15 s were 303 (SD 59) in the LNS group versus 301 (SD 56) in control, with P=0.65. For the secondary threshold of 90 min MVPA/day, 38.4% of the LNS group and 35.8% of controls were active, with risk ratio 0.93 (95% CI 0.74, 1.17). Overall, objective accelerometer-based outcomes showed no meaningful difference between groups, supporting the conclusion that this LNS regimen did not markedly raise children's physical activity.
- Study & population
- Randomized controlled trial in Malawi, conducted in semi-urban and rural areas of Mangochi District and enrolling mothers and their children through antenatal clinics at Mangochi district hospital, Malindi hospital, and Lungwena health centre.
- Intervention
- In the active intervention arm, children received 20 g/day of small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) from 6 to 18 months of age.
- Key limitation
- Physical activity was a distal outcome and was measured only at 18 months, so any effect may have been small or influenced by other unaddressed factors such as infection.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Abstract Physical activity is beneficial for children’s well-being. The effect of dietary supplementation on children’s physical activity in food-insecure areas remains little studied. We examined the effects of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) on children’s objectively measured physical activity in a randomised, controlled, outcome-assessor-blinded trial. Mothers of the children received one capsule daily of Fe-folic acid (IFA), one capsule containing eighteen micronutrients (MMN) or one 20 g sachet of LNS (containing twenty-two MMN, protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and 494 kJ (118 kcal)) during pregnancy and for 6 months thereafter. Children in the IFA and MMN groups received no supplementation, and these groups were collapsed into a single control group; children in the LNS group received 20 g LNS from 6 to 18 months. We measured physical activity with accelerometers over 1 week at 18 months. The main outcome was mean vector magnitude counts/15 s. Of the 728 children at the beginning of child intervention at 6 months, 570 (78 %) provided sufficient data for analysis. The mean accelerometer counts for the 190 children in the LNS group and for the 380 children in the control group were 303 (sd 59) and 301 (sd 56), respectively (P for difference=0·65). LNS, given to mothers during pregnancy and 6 months postpartum and to their infants from 6 to 18 months of age, did not increase physical activity among 18-month-old children.