Data collection procedure
stunting
A cluster of six villages was randomly allocated to the intervention group and another six villages to the control group. All the Anganwadi centers of the selected villages were visited and the weight and height of children who met the inclusion criteria were measured and collected.We assessed the nutritional status of the children using specific indicators including weight-for-age and height-for-age.The monitoring was done using a standard calibrated digital weighing scale, kept on a firm horizontal surface to the nearest 500 g with zero error, and height was measured using a wall-mounted measuring tape. The nutritional status of the children was gauged and reviewed, and it was graded according to the new WHO child growth standards (2006). The indicators used for this are underweight (low weight-for-age) and stunting (low height-for-age) based on the relationship with weight, height, and age. The status of the child with regard to being underweight and stunting is determined by the number of standard deviations in measurements below the mean of the NCHS/WHO reference population [At the Anganwadi center, arrangements were made for group meetings for the delivery of the intervention. Socio-demographic [For the intervention group, the intervention was provided in addition to the regular services available at the Anganwadi center. For the control group, regular services by the Anganwadi center were provided.