1. Introduction
MP, Stunting
STUNTING
These authors contributed equally to this work.Stunting affects 22% children globally, putting them at risk of adverse outcomes including delayed development. We investigated the effect of milk protein (MP) vs. soy and whey permeate (WP) vs. maltodextrin in large-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS), and LNS itself vs. no supplementation, on child development and head circumference among stunted children aged 1–5 years. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, community-based 2 × 2 factorial trial in Uganda (ISRCTN1309319). We randomized 600 children to one of four LNS formulations (~535 kcal/d), with or without MP (Child stunting is one of the most important impediments to human development, globally affecting 22% of children under 5 years [In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), 43% of children under 5 years are at risk of not reaching their developmental potential [As a notable predictor of development, head circumference is measured routinely especially in the first two years of life, a period during which the brain grows rapidly and the open sutures between the bones of the skull close. The increase in head circumference is more rapid at a younger age with up to 90% of the adult head size attained by two years. Head circumference increases by about 0.7 cm during the fifth year compared to 11 cm in the first year [To improve early child development in line with the 2030 agenda for sustainable development [Studies examining the effect of small-quantity, lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) with complementary feeding on development have had mixed findings [Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of milk protein (MP) vs. soy and whey permeate (WP) vs. maltodextrin, as part of large-quantity LNS (~535 kcal/d), as well as the effect of LNS itself vs. no supplementation on early child development among stunted children aged 1–5 years. We hypothesized that dairy in LNS, and/or LNS irrespective of dairy would affect child development.