A Randomized Pilot Trial of Micronutrient Supplementation for Under-5 Children in an Urban Low-Cost Flat Community in Malaysia: A Framework for Community-Based Research Integration

Crystal C. Wang, Muhammad Irfan Abdul Jalal, Zhi Liang Song, Yik Pheng Teo, Chin Aun Tan, Kai Voon Heng, Michelle Siu Yee Low, Azriyanti Anuar Zaini and Lucy Chai See Lum ()
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Crystal C. Wang: Weill Cornell Medicine, 1300 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA
Muhammad Irfan Abdul Jalal: UKM Medical Molecular Biology Institute (UMBI), Jalan Yaacob Latif, Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur 56000, Malaysia
Zhi Liang Song: Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
Yik Pheng Teo: Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
Chin Aun Tan: Department of Occupational Safety & Health Unit, Hospital Tunku Azizah, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
Kai Voon Heng: Department of Paediatrics, Hospital Tunku Azizah, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
Michelle Siu Yee Low: Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
Azriyanti Anuar Zaini: Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia
Lucy Chai See Lum: Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur 59100, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-20

Abstract: Early childhood nutritional deficiency has detrimental consequences on physical and cognitive development. We conducted a single-center, single-blind, two-arm pilot randomized no-treatment controlled trial (the Child of Urban Poverty Iron Project (CUPIP); NCT03819530) in a people’s housing project locale in Selangor, Malaysia, between September 2019 and February 2020, to assess the trial’s general feasibility and preliminary benefits of daily micronutrient supplementation for iron storage and anthropometric outcomes in under-5 children. Those with history of premature births, congenital abnormalities, or baseline hemoglobin <70 g/L were excluded. Participants received baseline deworming and were simply randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either micronutrient (4-month daily micronutrient packets) or control (no micronutrient supplementation) groups. Information on anthropometric, erythrocytic, and iron storage endpoints were collected. Overall, 45 (25 micronutrient and 20 controls) participants were enrolled and completed 4-month endpoint assessments. Micronutrient recipients demonstrated higher median mean corpuscular volume, serum ferritin level with no significant differences in all anthropometric endpoints. In conclusion, this pilot trial was implementable, demonstrating that micronutrient supplementation significantly improved hematological, but not anthropometric, endpoints, of under-5-year-old children living in an underprivileged environment. A definitive well-designed trial with larger sample sizes and greater attrition control should be contemplated in the future.

Keywords: child nutrition; pilot trial; stunting; micronutrient supplementation program; intervention program; urban poverty; Malaysia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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