Pilot Study on a Locally Prepared Food Supplement to Support Growth and Brain Health

This study is a randomized controlled pilot for a future larger trial. The goals of this pilot are: a) to assess feasibility of delivering a locally prepared supplement in rural communities, and b) to generate pilot data for sample size estimates needed for a larger trial. The study will test the effect of a supplement prepared locally with local and imported ingredients on changes in standard anthropometric benchmarks of growth, cognition, immune function, hemoglobin and skin carotenoids in young children living in 2 villages in rural Guinea-Bissau. Children in the active intervention village will be compared with assessment-only controls in a separate village having comparable demographic characteristics. As part of the study, we will assess the feasibility of having local commercial bakers prepare the supplement.