The first 2 years of life is a critical period in life, when infants and young children require nutritious foods in addition to breast milk to support their growth, development, and long-term health. Research of the Institute for Global Nutrition examines complementary feeding practices, dietary diversity, and micronutrient adequacy across diverse cultural, economic, and environmental contexts and assesses the impact of interventions during this key period. Our studies also consider the double burden of malnutrition, addressing both undernutrition and the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. Evidence generated by the Institute for Global Nutrition informs international guidelines, programs, and policies aimed at improving child feeding practices and nutrition, reducing health inequities, and strengthening food and health systems to better support infants, young children, and their caregivers.
CoMIT
The Condiment Micronutrient Innovation Trial (CoMIT) project is testing the impact of fortified bouillon use, compared to that of control bouillon, on micronutrient status among women and young children in northern Ghana in a randomized, controlled trial.
Egg Interventions including Mazira
Our research group has been carrying out two closely related projects evaluating the effects of eggs provided early in complementary feeding.
SQ-LNS for Young Children
After decades of research to identify the most effective strategies to fill nutrient gaps in complementary food diets and reduce malnutrition among children 6-24 months of age, IGN researchers, together with collaborators around the world, developed and tested an innovative food-based preventive intervention, small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS). In the International Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS) Project (2008 to the present), SQ-LNS was evaluated in four randomized controlled trials in three African countries. Subsequently, IGN researchers compiled the results from these trials and 10 additional trials in pooled analyses that included more than 37,000 children, finding that SQ-LNS reduced mortality by 27%, severe wasting by 31%, severe stunting by 17%, iron deficiency anemia by 64%, and developmental delay by 16–19% among children in this age group. These findings led to the formation of the SQ-LNS Task Force, to work towards scaling-up this intervention.