Impact of small fish powder on nutrition in children aged 6-24 months: a trial study
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN34731061 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN34731061 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | NSTU/SCI/EC/2021/73 |
- Submission date
- 29/01/2025
- Registration date
- 14/02/2025
- Last edited
- 03/02/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Nutritional, Metabolic, Endocrine
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Children are considered a vulnerable population due to poverty in the region and comparatively lower availability of food and nutrition. This study aimed to determine whether a supplementary ready-to-use fish powder (RUFP) can improve the nutritional outcomes of children aged 6-24 months.
Who can participate?
Healthy children aged 6–18 months
What does the study involve?
The experimental group received 5 g of fish powder daily in their complementary food for 16 weeks. The control group was asked to maintain their regular complementary food.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
The main benefits of this study were that the supplement was free of charge for the whole family, and the researchers also shared the recommended guidelines with them for use in the future. Another possible benefit was that the supplement may improve children's nutritional status, and there was no possible risk of harm to the participants.
Where is the study run from?
Noakhali Science and Technology University (Bangladesh)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2021 to January 2022
Who is funding the study?
WorldFish Bangladesh
Who is the main contact?
Dr Abdullah-Al Mamun, mamun@nstu.edu.bd, mamun_au22@yahoo.com
Contact information
Public, Scientific, Principal Investigator
Sonapur
Noakhali
3814
Bangladesh
 ORCID ID |
0000-0002-3251-4271 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +88 (0)1712928710 |
| mamun@nstu.edu.bd |
Study information
| Study design | Two-armed quasi-experimental study |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised study |
| Study setting(s) | Community |
| Study type | Quality of life |
| Scientific title | Effects of pelagic small fish powder on nutritional outcomes among children aged 6-24 months: a quasi-experimental trial |
| Study acronym | RUFP |
| Study objectives | The inclusion of pelagic small fish powder in the diet of children aged 6-24 months will improve their nutritional outcomes, including growth and micronutrient status, compared to children not receiving the intervention. |
| Ethics approval(s) |
Approved 26/08/2021, Noakhali Science and Technology University Ethical Committee (NSTUEC) (Sonapur, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh; +88 (0)2334496522; registrar@office.nstu.edu.bd), ref: NSTU/SCI/EC/2021/73 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Nutrition in children aged 6-24 months |
| Intervention | The experimental group (n = 30) received 5 g of RUFP composite fish powder made from anchovy (Olua, Coilia dussumieri), sardine (Chapila, Sardinella longiceps), and faissa (Thryssa, Thryssa dussumieri) daily in their complementary food at a 40:30:30 ratio for 16 weeks. The control group (n = 30) was asked to maintain regular complementary food. |
| Intervention type | Supplement |
| Primary outcome measure | Growth and nutritional status assessed using anthropometric measurements, including weight-for-age (WAZ), length-for-age (LAZ), and weight-for-length (WLZ) z-scores, at the beginning and end of the 116-day intervention |
| Secondary outcome measures | Micronutrient status evaluated using biochemical biomarkers such as hemoglobin levels, ferritin, vitamin B12, and retinol at the beginning and end of the 116-day intervention |
| Overall study start date | 01/08/2021 |
| Completion date | 31/01/2022 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Child |
| Lower age limit | 6 Months |
| Upper age limit | 18 Months |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 80 |
| Total final enrolment | 60 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. Healthy children aged 6–18 months 2. Caregivers willing to allow their children to participate and consume fish powder-based cooked food 3. Informed parental consent provided |
| Key exclusion criteria | 1. Children who were unhealthy 2. Who have intolerance or unwillingness to consume fish powder 3. Children aged less than 6 months or more than 18 months |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/10/2021 |
| Date of final enrolment | 04/10/2021 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Bangladesh
Study participating centres
4700
Bangladesh
4700
Bangladesh
Sponsor information
Other
Apartment A4 and B4
House-03, Road-13, Gulshan-1
Dhaka
1212
Bangladesh
| Phone | +88 (0)9 6023 20095 |
|---|---|
| wfbangladesh@cgiar.org | |
| Website | https://worldfishcenter.org/ |
Funders
Funder type
Other
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 01/03/2025 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a reputed peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The dataset will be shared with the journal where it will be published and the dataset without participants will be provided upon any request from the readers. The name and email address of the investigator/body who should be contacted for access to the dataset is Md Shahedul Islam (shahedul0810@student.nstu.edu.bd). |
Editorial Notes
03/02/2025: Study's existence confirmed by Noakhali Science and Technology University Ethical Committee (NSTUEC).
