Effect of iron‐fortified infant cereal on nutritional status of infants in Ghana

Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent among infants in Ghana. This study evaluated the effect of micronutrient‐fortified infant cereal on the nutritional status of infants in the La Nkwantanang Municipality of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, located in western Africa. In this double‐blind, controlled trial, infants aged 6–18 months were cluster‐randomized to receive either micronutrient‐fortified infant cereal containing 3.75 mg iron as ferrous fumarate/50 g cereal (INT; n = 107) or the same cereal without iron (CTL; n = 101) to complement other foods and breast milk. The intervention phase lasted six months followed by a two‐month post–intervention phase (with no further study product feeding). Hemoglobin and anthropometry were assessed every 2 months for the 8‐month study period. After the 6‐month intervention phase, adjusted mean ± standard error change in hemoglobin from baseline in INT and CTL was 1.97 ± 0.19 and 1.16 ± 0.21 g/dl, respectively (p < .01 for each); the increase in hemoglobin was significantly larger in INT versus CTL (increase 0.68 ± 0.30 g/dl; p = .02). Prevalence of anemia declined to a significantly greater extent in INT (84.1% to 42.8%) compared to CTL (89.1% to 62.8%; p = .006). There was no significant difference between groups in weight gain (p = .41) or height gain (p = .21) over the study period. In infants aged 6–18 months, micronutrient‐fortified infant cereal consumed for 6 months promoted greater reductions in iron‐deficiency anemia, which is a significant public health concern not only in Ghana but also in many developing countries globally.