The Impact of Animal Source food (ASF) on the Growth of Malnourished Children in Bachok, Kelantan: Randomized Controlled Intervention Trial

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Animal Source Food on the growth of Malaysian malnourished children in Bachok Kelantan. Method: A six months Animal Source Food (ASF) intervention trial was carried out with 90 malnourished children, aged 2-10 years, from food insecure households in Bachok, Malaysian. Children were randomized into three groups: Milk Group (n=30) consumed two boxes of 250 ml milk daily over the study period, Egg Group (n=30) received two eggs daily and Control Group (n=30) children who did not receive any food intervention. Anthropometric data were collected at baseline, after 3 and 6 months of the intervention trial. Results: Over the 6 months study period there was a significant increase in children's height for all groups (Milk Group; 3.62 cm; p0.001, Egg Group; 3.51 cm, p0.001, Control Group; 2.55 cm, p0.001), weight (Milk Group; 1.72 kg; p0.001, Egg Group; 1.67 kg, p0.001, Control Group; 0.87 kg. p0.001), and mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) (Milk Group; 0.80 cm; p0.001, Egg Group; 0.78 cm, p0.001, Control Group; 0.31 cm; p=0.023). Conclusion: The impact of the intervention was positive but the effectiveness was not large enough to define as success of the intervention program.