Design, Methods, and Select Baseline Results from a School Nutrition Project for Adolescents in Bangladesh.

Background: The School Nutrition for Adolescents Project (SNAP) provided weekly iron and folic acid (WIFA) supplementation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) support for girls; actions to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices; and behavior change interventions to adolescents aged 10-19 y in 65 intervention schools in 2 districts of Bangladesh.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the project design and select baseline results of students and school project implementers.

Methods: Girls (n = 2244) and boys (n = 773) in 74 schools (clusters) and project implementers [headteachers (n = 74), teachers (n = 96), and student leaders (n = 91)] participated in a survey assessing nutrition, MHM, and WASH knowledge and experience.

Effect of fish-oil supplementation on breastmilk long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration: a randomized controlled trial in rural Ethiopia.

Background: For infants and young children in low-income settings, human milk (HM) is the main source of omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPs), including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). However, the n-3 LCPs concentrations of HM show wide variability, largely depending on the maternal intake of marine foods. This may put children living far from coastal areas at risk of inadequate intake.

Effects of n-3 long-chain PUFA supplementation to lactating mothers and their breastfed children on child growth and morbidity: a 2 × 2 factorial randomized controlled trial in rural Ethiopia.

Background: Recurrent infections and inflammation contribute to growth faltering in low-income countries. n-3 (ω-3) Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty-acids (LC-PUFAs) may improve immune maturation, resistance to infections, and growth in young children who are at risk.

Objective: We evaluated the independent and combined effects of fish oil (500 mg n-3 LC-PUFAs/d) supplementation to lactating mothers and their breastfed children, aged 6-24 mo, on child morbidity, systemic inflammation, and growth in southwest Ethiopia.

Feeding practices and growth among young children during two seasons in rural Ethiopia.

Background: The use of indices of infant and young child feeding practices to predict growth has generated inconsistent results, possibly through age and seasonal confounding. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of a dietary diversity score (DDS) and infant and child feeding index (ICFI) with growth among young children in a repeated cross-sectional and a follow-up study in two distinct seasons in rural southwest Ethiopia.

Methods: We used a repeated cross-sectional design comparing child feeding practices to nutritional status in 6-12 month old children during harvest (HS;  = 320) and pre-harvest season (PHS;  = 312).

Dietary diversity predicts dietary quality regardless of season in 6-12-month-old infants in south-west Ethiopia.

Objective: Simple, cost-effective and convenient instruments like food group-based scores are proposed to assess micronutrient adequacy of children in developing countries. We assessed the predictive ability and seasonal stability of a dietary diversity score (DDS) to indicate dietary quality of infants.

Design: A 24 h dietary recall assessment was carried out on a sample of 320 and 312 breast-fed infants aged 6-12 months during harvest (HS) and pre-harvest (PHS) seasons, respectively, in Ethiopia.

Seasonality modifies the effect of a lipid-based nutrient supplement for pregnant rural women on birth length.

Background: Maternal nutritional status is a major determinant of low birth weight and fluctuates across seasons. Seasonality may influence the outcome of prenatal nutrition interventions that aim to enhance fetal growth.

Objective: This study investigated seasonal modifications of the efficacy of a randomized controlled prenatal nutrition intervention trial in pregnant women to improve fetal growth in rural Burkina Faso.

Effectiveness of a nutrition education package in improving feeding practices, dietary adequacy and growth of infants and young children in rural Tanzania: rationale, design and methods of a cluster randomised trial.

Background: Strategies to improve infant and young child nutrition in low- and middle- income countries need to be implemented at scale. We contextualised and packaged successful strategies into a feasible intervention for implementation in rural Tanzania. Opportunities that can optimise delivery of the intervention and encourage behaviour change include mothers willingness to modifying practices; support of family members; seasonal availability and accessibility of foods; established set-up of village peers and functioning health system.

Critical evaluation of folate data in European and international databases: recommendations for standardization in international nutritional studies.

Scope: The objective was to perform an inventory and critical evaluation of folate data in selected European and international databases. The ultimate aim was to establish guidelines for compiling standardized folate databases for international nutritional studies.

Methods And Results: An ad hoc questionnaire was prepared to critically compare and evaluate folate data completeness, quantification, terminologies, and documentation of 18 European and international databases, and national fortification regulations.