 This study was a sub-study using the same subjects who participated in LCNI-4. It was conducted around Lungwena, a rural area in southern Malawi. Participants were given either 72 g of fortified maize-soy flour or 50 g of FS per day for a period of 12 weeks. Fortified maize-soy flour is the standard supplementary food for malnourished children in Malawi. Information about how maize-soy flour is used at home and how its use affects other complementary feeds is not available. How the practical aspects of maize-soy flour use compare with that of FS is also unknown.
To obtain such information, each child was observed for one full day between the 6th and 12th of participation in the main study. The type of food and duration of all feeding episodes (including breastmilk) were recorded. A semi-structured form about the caregiver-child interaction was completed for each meal. Caregivers were visited at the end of the study to obtain their opinions about the use of the supplement their child was given.
This descriptive study provides information about the size of typical FS vs. maize-soy flour feeds, time spent feeding FS vs. maize-soy flour, waste of FS vs. maize-soy flour, and impact of FS vs. maize-soy flour on complementary feeds. These data together with information about differences in caregiver-child interaction and caregiver’s opinions of the foods can be used in planning larger scale supplementary feeding interventions in Malawi. |
Research
