Effect of counselling about complementary food flour soaking on hemoglobin status of children 6-23 months, a quasi-experimental study

Background The presence of anti-nutrient factors in cereal and legume-based complementary food is a major factor in the etiology of iron deficiency in children of developing countries. This study aimed to assess the effect of counseling about complementary food flour soaking on the hemoglobin status of children 6–23 months. Methods A pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental study was conducted from November 1, 2021, to May 1, 2022. Two districts were randomly selected and allocated to intervention and control groups. Mothers of children in intervention districts received a home-based nutritional counseling intervention for a total of six months, and those in the control district received the usual care by the health system. Data on the child, maternal, and household characteristics were taken at the baseline in both groups. Whereas, data on child weight, length, hemoglobin, and morbidity status were taken before and after the implementation of the intervention. The primary outcome was the mean change in hemoglobin level. A difference-in-differences (DID) regression analysis was conducted to determine the net effectiveness of the intervention on hemoglobin level. Result The results showed that the intervention improved the mean hemoglobin level by 0.15 (DID: 0.15: 95% CI: 0.095‒0.223), whereas the intervention was not effective in improving the prevalence of anemia. Conclusion Behavioral change communication intervention that promotes household food modification techniques should be strengthened to improve the complementary feeding practices of mothers. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with a registration number of NCT05254717.