Edible insects (cricket Acheta domesticus) in school meals for improved nutrition in pre-school children in Kenya
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN10920322 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN10920322 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | MKU/ERC/0274 |
- Submission date
- 25/02/2017
- Registration date
- 16/03/2017
- Last edited
- 14/10/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
In Kenya children aged from six months to five years are usually given porridge in between meals and this usually continues when the children join nursery school. Protein and mineral deficiency is common in Kenyan children and insects have been shown to contain sufficient proteins and minerals when supplemented in complementary food. Cricket rearing is new in Kenya and farmed crickets could be used to improve the nutritional status and gut health of schoolchildren in Kenya. The aim of this study is to assess the acceptance and impact on nutrition of a daily school meal of a cricket-based porridge, to provide information on cricket as an alternative animal protein source which may be cheaper and affordable to many Kenyans and therefore help curb child malnutrition.
Who can participate?
Children aged 3-7 attending Cheptigit nursery school
What does the study involve?
Participating children are given a daily portion of porridge from Monday to Friday for 6 months. The children are randomly allocated to receive either cricket-based porridge, milk-based porridge, or plant-based porridge. The children are assessed for their acceptance of the food with questionnaires. Their height, weight, skinfolds, and mid upper arm circumference are measured. They also provide finger prick blood samples and stool samples.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Children participating in this study may benefit from the daily porridge and the monthly health checks. They may feel a little pain during the finger prick. There are no other anticipated risks in this study.
Where is the study run from?
Cheptigit nursery school (Kenya)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
February 2017 to August 2017
Who is funding the study?
The Consultative Research Committee for Development Research (FFU), Danida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Denmark)
Who is the main contact?
1. Dr Nanna Roos (scientific)
nro@nexs.ku.dk
2. Dr John Kinyuru (scientific)
jkinyuru@agr.jkuat.ac.ke
3. Miss Carolyne Kipkoech (public)
kipkoechcarolyne@gmail.com
Contact information
Scientific
University of Copenhagen
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports (NEXS)
Rolighedsvej 26
Frederiksberg
1958
Denmark
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-9733-9523 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +45 (0)3532 2497 |
| nro@nexs.ku.dk |
Scientific
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Department of Food Science and Technology
PO Box 62000
Nairobi
00200
Kenya
| Phone | +254 (0)723 667 432 |
|---|---|
| jkinyuru@agr.jkuat.ac.ke |
Public
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
Department of Food Science and Technology
PO Box 62000-002000
Nairobi
00200
Kenya
| Phone | +254 (0)721 481 324 |
|---|---|
| kipkoechcarolyne@gmail.com |
Study information
| Study design | Individually randomized single-blinded trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Prevention |
| Participant information sheet | No participant information sheet available. Parents received oral information and signed a consent form |
| Scientific title | The impact of edible cricket in a school meal programme on nutritional status, gut microbiota and health in pre-school children (age 3-4 years): an individually randomized, single-blinded controlled trial in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya |
| Study acronym | CRICKFOOD |
| Study objectives | School meal serving with a fortified porridge made with edible insect (cricket) supports growth (linear and weight) at least equal to a positive control group receiving a fortified porridge with milk powder, and better than a negative control of a fully plant based fortified porridge. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Mount Kenya University Ethical Review Committee, 09/01/2017, ref: MKU/ERC/0274 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Nutrition |
| Intervention | The intervention will involve feeding children in a school setup. The children in the pre primary section will be given porridge every five days in a week. Treatment is a daily food supplement served as a school meal. Children will be randomly allocated (simple randomization) to be given 65 grams of either milk based, cricket based or cereal based flour in form of porridge: 1. Intervention: a fortified porridge with edible insects (cricket) 2. Positive control: a similarly fortified porridge with milk powder 3. Negative control: a fortified plant-based porridge The food groups are blinded for investigators, while food group cannot be blinded to participants due to different appearance and taste. Children will be served porridge every day from Monday to Friday while at school for a period of six months. The children will line up for porridge depending on their trial arm and then they will be served and observed as they take the porridge and any remaining volume recorded. There will be baseline measures and dietary intake questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the trial, with baseline and end line measures of stool, hemoglobin through finger prick, fatty acid analysis, weight, height, and mid upper arm circumference. Every month the children will undergo morbidity checks, weight, height, and mid upper arm circumference measures. |
| Intervention type | Supplement |
| Primary outcome measure | Weight for Height (Z score), measured using Seca digital weight measuring scale at 1,2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 months |
| Secondary outcome measures | 1. Porridge acceptability, measured daily using amount of porridge consumed assessed by weighing any remaining quantity of the porridge at the end of the meal 2. School attendance, measured daily using school registration of each child 3. Stool microbiota, analysed using a stool sample at baseline and endline (6 months) 4. EED (Environmental Enteric Dysfunction) prevalence, measured using a stool sample (indicators to be assessed: myeloperoxidase and neopterin) at baseline and endline (6 months) |
| Overall study start date | 14/02/2017 |
| Completion date | 14/08/2017 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 3 Years |
| Upper age limit | 7 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 135 |
| Total final enrolment | 138 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Children attending Cheptigit nursery school 2. Weight for Height (WHZ) – ≥-3 Z scores 3. Caregivers who will accept that their children participate in the study and sign the consent form 4. Children who are willing to take porridge and follow the study procedure and therefore assent to the study procedure 5. Age 3-7 years |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Weight for Height (WHZ) ≤ 3 Z scores 2. Children allergic to any ingredients in the porridge 3. Children whose parents do not consent to the study 4. Children with obvious signs of disease |
| Date of first enrolment | 10/03/2017 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/03/2017 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Kenya
Study participating centre
Kenya
Sponsor information
University/education
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
Rolighedsvej 26
Frederiksberg
1958
Denmark
| Phone | +45 (0)3532 2497 |
|---|---|
| nro@nexs.ku.dk | |
| Website | http://nexs.ku.dk/english/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/035b05819 |
University/education
Department of Food Science and Technology
PO Box 62000
Nairobi
00200
Kenya
| Phone | +254 (0)67 587 0001 |
|---|---|
| info@jkuat.ac.ke | |
| Website | http://www.jkuat.ac.ke/contacts/ |
Funders
Funder type
Government
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/11/2017 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high-impact peer reviewed journal, to be submitted November 2017 |
| IPD sharing plan | This study is collaborative research between John Kinyuru, Jomo Kenyetta University of Agriculture and Tecnology (JKUAT), Nairobi, Kenya (jkinyuru@agr.jkuat.ac.ke) and Nanna Roos, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (nro@nexs.ku.dk). Request for access to dataset should be sent jointly to these collaborating partners. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thesis results | 23/07/2019 | 14/10/2022 | No | No |
Editorial Notes
14/10/2022: Thesis and total final enrolment added.
