Nutritional intervention improves appetite, food consumption of stunted children

Implementation of a nutritional intervention results in better appetite status and greater food consumption in stunted children, results of a community-based study in Bangladesh have shown. Moreover, using the Early Childhood Appetite and Satiety Tool (ECAST) in the assessment of appetite status appears beneficial for monitoring those receiving such intervention.

“This tool may be useful for programmes in managing child stunting in low-income countries and an important way to assess the efficacy of a nutritional intervention in these children,” the investigators said.

Fifty stunted children (length for age [LAZ], <–2) aged 12–18 months and their mothers in Bauniabadh slum of Dhaka City in Bangladesh were enrolled in this longitudinal prospective intervention study.

Participants received the following: one boiled egg and 150 ml milk daily 6 days a week for 3 months; psychosocial stimulation including structured play activities and parental counseling for 6 months; and routine clinical care. The investigators measured appetite status using the interview-based tool ECAST.

The mean appetite score rose from 49 to 60 in the stunted children during the period of nutritional intervention, indicating increased food consumption. Both egg (from 40.3 to 49.6 g) and milk consumption (from 83.8 to 138.5 ml) increased during intervention. Likewise, nonstunted children increased their consumption of egg (from 40.3 to 50.0 g) and milk (from 92 to 130 ml).

“Future trials to determine whether such improvements in appetite are also associated with improved nutritional recovery are needed,” the investigators said.

“Stunted children often have poor appetite, which may limit their response to nutritional interventions,” they noted.