AGE-DIFFERENCES IN THE IMPACT OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTATION ON GROWTH

Supplementary feeding programs are common in developing countries. The se programs often cannot demonstrate an impact on child growth, howeve r, possibly because they tend to reach older children. This study exam ines the impact of nutritional supplementation on annual growth rates in length and weight from birth to 7 y of age in 1208 rural Guatemalan children. A series of multiple linear regression models is used to co ntrol for initial body size, diarrheal disease, home diet, socioeconom ic status and gender. During the first year of life, each 100 kcal/d ( 478 kJ) of supplement was associated with similar to 9 mm in additiona l length gain and 350 g in additional weight gain; the benefit decreas ed to similar to 5 mm in length gain and 250 g in weight gain during t he 2nd y of life. Between 24 and 36 mo of age, supplement only had a s ignificant impact on length. There was no impact of nutritional supple mentation on growth between 3 and 7 y of age. Patterns were the same i f supplement intakes were expressed as a percent of recommended allowa nces or growth was expressed as a percent of the expected rate. These impacts of nutritional supplementation on growth coincide with the age s when growth velocities, as well as growth deficits, are greatest in this population.