Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT04447209

Dietary Diversity of Young Children During CoVID-19 Outbreak: A Longitudinal Study

The 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease. Quarantine measures during a public health pandemic can be particularly detrimental to urban poor families and affect the dietary diversity and food security. This can disproportionately affect young children aged 6 and below, and severely impact those <2 years. Sudden unemployment may result in an unexpected reduction in income that will place pressure on daily budgets for food. Children of families may not have access to foods of adequate diversity that will enable them to meet their macro and micronutrient requirements for growth and development, especially during the Movement Control Order (MCO). The study plans to monitor and evaluate dietary diversity in young children's food intake after the MCO and use the collected information to direct targeted food aid to address observed macro- and micronutrient deficiencies among the urban vulnerable group.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Dietary Diversity

Age range

6 month–6 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Malaya Medical Center

Kuala Lumpur, 59100, Malaysia

About this study

Children are the future to our society. The first thousand days of life, starting from conception till one's second birthday is a critical period of cognitive and physical development. It is the most sensitive period where brain development is most receptive to positive nutrition. Any form of malnutrition, especially during this golden time frame, can lead to irreversible effects to growth, health, education and future career attainment to our potential leaders, which in turn can be a barrier to human development.

The CoVID outbreak is a unique period in recent human history where drastic public health measures such as MCO for an extended period of time has to be implemented nation-wide. These measures have untold severe consequences on the food security of the vulnerable urban group, in particular the young children whose brains require diverse micronutrients to support the rapid growth. These micronutrients can only be obtained from a daily diet that is equally diverse, especially from fresh vegetables and fruits which will be short in supplies. These perishable food items are not usually included in food aids, thus the child may have to subsist on staple-rich diet which are energy-dense but nutrient-poor. These dietary practices are associated with negative health outcomes. Thus by monitoring dietary diversity of the children, we hope to better inform food aid organisations to consider the inclusion of healthier food options to prevent micronutrient deficiencies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • All well-children aged between 6 months and 6 years

Exclusion criteria

  • Children with chronic illnesses

Treatment and study plan

2-weekly Food baskets

Other

2 weekly Food basket containing fresh foods or minimally processed foods.

Primary outcomes

  1. Minimal Dietary Diversity (MDD) of more than 5 food groups in 24 hours

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 9 months.

    Number of food groups in 24 hours

  2. Consumption of fruits and vegetables, pre and post-intervention

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 9 months.

    percentage of population consuming fruits and vegetables, pre and post-intervention

  3. Consumption of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, pre and post-intervention

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 9 months.

    percentage of population consuming sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, pre and post-intervention

Secondary outcomes

  1. Blood hemoglobin in children at the start of study and 4 months later

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 9 months.

    Change in gram/L

  2. Serum ferritin in children at the start of study and 4 months later

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 9 months.

    Change in microgram/L

  3. Height and Weight z-scores, pre and post-intervention

    Time frame: At study completion, an average of 12 months.

    Malnutrition

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Malaya

Other

Registry information

Acronym: CoDDYC

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2021
Study completion
2023
First posted
Jun 25, 2020
Registry last updated
May 20, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Related clinical trials

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.