3.1. Baseline Characteristics
anemia
BLOOD, IRON DEFICIENCY, ANEMIA
The infant sample included 386 infants from 72 sectors (Blood specimens were collected from a subsample of 209 infants (54%). Compared to infants without a blood sample, infants with a blood sample had significantly higher scores (range: 3–4 points) on the child development assessments at the baseline. Maternal and household characteristics did not differ between infants with and without blood samples. Hemoglobin did not differ between treatment groups at the baseline. Median (IQR) ferritin was significantly lower among the responsive caregiving + fortified beverage group at the baseline. The prevalence of anemia and iron deficiency was 55% and 58%, respectively. 